Well you listed several things which are proxies for the quality of the iOS experience, a significant amount of which is a direct result of the more curated app store. It's popular and a status signalling object - but it wouldn't be if the core experience was bad. Many people just follow tastemakers and don't know at all why the thing they "like" is better or worse than anything else, that's fine, but they're still doing so ultimately because of quality.
The app store moderation isn't the only dimension of the quality of the ecosystem, but it has a significant effect.
I have a mild preference for android, but it was more or less just luck which landed me on an iPhone for my current phone. It literally came down to which one I could acquire quicker after I destroyed my old phone before an extended out of state trip. The Pixel I bought is still in its sealed box because the shipping was delayed while I literally picked up an iPhone from the Apple campus store at the last minute before my flight.
The app store moderation isn't the only dimension of the quality of the ecosystem, but it has a significant effect.
I have a mild preference for android, but it was more or less just luck which landed me on an iPhone for my current phone. It literally came down to which one I could acquire quicker after I destroyed my old phone before an extended out of state trip. The Pixel I bought is still in its sealed box because the shipping was delayed while I literally picked up an iPhone from the Apple campus store at the last minute before my flight.