Talking just about one point, iOS is not really free. Neither are iOS updates. They may seem so for many, but both are paid for by the price of the device. Acco

Talking just about one point, iOS is not really free. Neither are iOS updates. They may seem so for many, but both are paid for by the price of the device. According to accounting rules (pushed by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act), Apple even sets aside the revenue from each device to accrue over a period of few years so that it can provide updates. In other words, an initial payment for the device pays for both the current version of iOS and a few years of future versions, fixes and updates - it's treated like a subscription, but not clearly sold as such. Search for "Apple subscription accounting" for more information.