Oh, I’ve developed hardware! And it’s been all over the place...
So how were PC guys able to pull off the wide assortment of hardware and configurations yet have a single OS support them? Curious, eh? Maybe Google isn’t a dis-interested as you think, perhaps they built and extensible OS that allows for support for a variety of hardware?
If what you alledge is true, then why is the latest Samsung Note 7, still lagging behind last years iPhone 6s in real-world benchmarks? The iPhone 7, which drops tomorrow is "rumored" to exceed the iPhone 6s by anohter 35%. The truth of the matter is when you control both the hardware and the software; you can optimize the entire user experience; plus make it more secure.
As for security, there is no question as to who is more secure. When was the latest Android security update? Apple drops them every couple months, they are dropped within weeks of an exploit beind discovered - such that there is never truly a case of an exploit in the wild that really hits the iPhone. This is not the case with Android, and has never been the case with Android. Google mines your email, and your information with Android is open to anyone who wants to look. And that information is getting more and more personal as technology gets more advanced. Consider the latest health enabled watches. It won't be long before your company can tap into your watch and see what your pulse is doing as you walk. If the company is planning a RIF, and your pulse is showing you are not doing so well going up and down those hills; who is to say that this information would not be gathered?
With iOS, we know that this is not the case. The truth is that Apple makes it a paramount condition that privacy is not negotiable. They make money on their hardware, such that they do not need to sell your personal information to get money to supplement efforts to develop software.
If you are getting a service or application for free; don't kid yourself - YOU are the product. FaceBook, Android, Gmail are selling YOU to the hightest bidder.