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They are not incompatible claims.

People buy things for multiple reasons. The point of the article is Apple has a problem, one of the reasons, iOS, isn't applicable in China due to WeChat being the dominate platform (and works on all devices).

The author circles back to mention that it doesn't mean Apple is eliminated from that market since they still have other differentiators (status symbol).

"First, it says that iPhones are bought as statement pieces, ie their hardware". The author said nothing of the sort, you are projecting your own (incorrect, imho) opinions.

The author said that iOS is significant differentiator and that's why people buy iPhones. Except not so much in China now, because WeChat.

Being a statement piece does not necessarily have anything to do with hardware. It's much more about branding.