Interestingly, I’ve owned first-generation iPhone 4,5,6S,7 and I currently have an iPhone 11 Pro. I held off on the X and 8 because I wanted Apple to bring back the touch button. I learned to adapt and move on. I buy my phone outright, so I have my 4 and 5 in a box in the basement. My wife is using my 6S, and my daughter has my 7. I’ve never had issues with my phones.

But would you buy a phone with a network technology that’s not supported by a majority of the geographical area yet?

No. I would not. That’s an idiotic waste of money. I will wait until the network exists and then perhaps get a new device if I think 5G offers benefits. I am happy with LTE speeds. I bought a 4K TV after Netflix and Apple started offering content in 4K. All of my Marvel Universe, Star Trek and LOTR/Hobbit stuff is in 4K.

… add back the fingerprint scanner, which is infinitely more convenient than face scanning at night, or when you’re wearing a mask, or when you’re on the move, and so on.

What is face scanning at night? I’ve had no issues unlocking my iPhone 11 Pro in total darkness. The worst challenge, wearing a mask, with using Face ID, is caused by a global pandemic. One could argue that if you burn off your fingertips, you can’t use TouchID. Being able to type in a passcode is the “workaround”.

Apple Arcade, or Apple TV+, or Apple Music, or News+, and extra iCloud storage (for app storage, not so much for backup) and Fitness+ are all services consumed by my family, my two sisters-in-law and my brother-in-law and many people I know with iPhones. People with kids who want to watch the same Marvel Movies or Star Wars or Universal Cartoons over and over and over and over again, love Apple TV. People with HBO love Apple TV+. My family tried Spotify and Apple Music and preferred Apple Music. Some extended family members have Spotify.

For me, iCloud isn’t just about storage. It’s about sync. I use the same apps across multiple devices – iPhone, iPad and iMac. I also share files with my wife. iCloud is frictionless for her. Dropbox is not. The people who live inside my house don’t care about the things geeks want. They want what they want. And if it works and is easy to use, they use it.

Don’t discount a feature just because you are not in the demographic or don’t understand the demographic. These services are viable because people use them. Apple would get rid of them if they were not viable. Follow the money, not your geekiness.

if Apple sticks to only offering Apple One for free with their 5G phones, it’ll be very easy for me, and millions of others to stay away from those phones this cycle. Will this hurt Apple’s stock?

No. It won’t. Apple won’t notice if you switch if you are never a customer.