I am an economist. Apple sells every single product they make to willing buyers around the world. Other manufacturers make similar products in the same tier as Apple products that cost the same, often more, than Apple products with similar attributes. When trying to match Apple products such as computers, which has frequently been done here on FreeRepublic, providing the same level of components, hardware, and software, as are already included with an Apple product, one frequently finds that the Apple product is not only competitive with the build price of the name brand competitor's product, but is frequently less expensive.
In the phone arena, Apple's smartphone is LESS expensive than Samsung's when they first release their newest models. . . but Samsung, because of rapidly dropping sales, always rapidly drops their prices within two months to prop up sales. Apple never reduces prices because their sales never drop so drastically for their top tier flagship phones until the next model is due. Apple has never felt the need to sponsor Buy one, get one (or two, or three, or even four) for free programs to move their iPhones, not once in nine years and over 1 billion sales of iPhone sales to willing buyers around the world.
All of this means that Apple is not overcharging for their products because the public is willing to pay the prices they are being offered for. That is the way any correct price is determined in economics in a competitive market.
It’s not cheaper. I never bought a second iPhone after my first slowed down too much to be useful after a software upgrade 1.5 years into the phone. They’re designed to be useless after 2 years of service. My Samsung on the other hand is still going strong 4 years later. I need extra storage on my phone for work which Samsung allows with a flash memory card. Over all value goes to Samsung.
What you’re mostly paying for with your iPhone is advertising.
There is no way Apple charges the same price for an iphone in the third world as it does oi the first world market. I see third worlders universally using hand held smart phones. The citizens of the USA are subsidizing the Apple customers in the third word, in that sense Apple is acting like an NGO. The price is really a global tax.