Cheap iPhones have existed for nearly 10 years. They're just last year's model. That blows a gaping hole in this entire article.
There are a lot of people who won't buy a used phone. And last year's model is not $249 brand new.
Then two years ago, whatever. I wasn't referring to used phones, anyway. There have been "cheap" iPhone options for a long time, and a decent, brand-new Android phone didn't really pop up until the Moto X, which was something like 2012.