They are not sold &quot;subsidised&quot;, they are sold in instalments that make your mobile bill higher.<p>Sure, a $700 device every 24 months is affordable to almost everyone in Western Europe and is not for &quot;high income only&quot;, but my interpretation of the point in your parent post is that the people who prefer an iPhone at double the price (or double the monthly instalment as it were) are people who either:<p>* are rich enough not to care about $300 if there is even a little status&#x2F;brand cachet&#x2F;convenience - this then translates to not caring about nickles and dimes on app store purchases either<p>* are desperate for being perceived as the group above - basically the same people who spend two month&#x27;s salary on Prada&#x2F;LV&#x2F;Chanel handbags