twelve guys with neck beards is not enough to state “people know”. I would wager that the vast majority of non-technical people don’t know or don’t understand how Google uses their data/activities/perosnal information to make money.

Your assertions about Apple also don’t make any sense. Google makes its money by selling ads, and targets them at users based on the amassed personal information and history they have about that person. Apple makes money by selling high level hardware. Apple have no business use for reading all my email or tracking what store I bought underwear at.

I’m not sure about your conspiracy theories but searching for “iphone m7 nsa” doesn’t give me anything except more crackport theories that “cite” references which don’t actually mention the topic being discussed at all.

I know you can use an Android device without a Google account - but how many of the built in apps in a native Android install work without a Google account? What quality are the alternatives? I think you overestimate how many people using Android devices do so without using Google services - the same for non-Google app stores.

Im not even sure how a 4 year old phone from what is effectively a dead company equates - you’re comparing a hugely profitable company, with an “open source” (for some definitions of open) operating system, with a physical device.

I wish you good carrots on your trip to the nasal equine.