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Comment by apparent | Hacker News Reader

Interesting that this is an iOS app, not Android or web app. What percent of illegal immigrants who are worried about being randomly swept up (i.e., those who can be visibly profiled) have iOS devices?

I was under the impression that iOS devices were prevalent among wealthy and aspiring wealthy Americans, but that middle class and lower class Americans were much more likely to have Android devices.

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>I was under the impression that iOS devices were prevalent among wealthy and aspiring wealthy Americans, but that middle class and lower class Americans were much more likely to have Android devices.

I think your impression is pretty dated, like to 2010 or something?Apple has generally kept iPhones fully updated for a good 5-7 years, with some security updates after and apps typically supporting n-1 or n-2 OS. Current iOS 18 supports devices back to the iPhone XR/XS released in 2018. And the pace of progress has leveled off a huge amount since the heady early days in the steep part of the S-curve. But prices still fall fast on used phones. Even if you go back fewer years, iPhone 11s and 12s can be had for a few hundred bucks or less and still work well (I had a 12 until recently). Battery replacement can be done for ~$30.

So while sure, if someone was always on the newest phone that'd have some premium, it's definitely not any big deal or sign of riches to have an iPhone. They're all over the US market space.

I'm just going based off of what type of devices I see people using. The wealthy people I know who are not devs generally have iPhones. The people I see working in positions that may not require legal status seem to be much more on the Android side of things. Back in 2010, low-income people did not have smartphones, period. I'd be curious if there's any data available on current trends.

> but that middle class and lower class Americans were much more likely to have Android devices.

An iPhone would be a very minor expense for a person from middle class (lawyers, doctors, sofware engineers…).

I imagine for working class or poor people Android vs iPhone could be a real concern financial though.

I don't think most lawyers, doctors, and software engineers are "middle class". They might claim to be "upper middle class" to avoid being categorized as "upper class" as many wealthy people do.

These professions are a core of the middle class. Maybe some of the most successful could be called upper-middle class, if they also had a large inheritance?

But a regular software dev or a GP is the perfect representation of a middle class - having enough money for comfortable life, travel, owning a house, new car, leisure activities and having money for investments.

If one can’t afford these (all at the same time) - it is not middle class. Middle class is not a “median - average salary class”, by a long shot.

The most successful lawyers, doctors, and software engineers are upper class. High-earning lawyers make millions per year, and even moderately successful doctors in major cities make $500k+. I've heard doctors brag about making $800k, working part-time. The most successful software engineers make near or over a million.

Can you define "upper middle class" and "upper class" in a way that excludes all but "some of the most successful" doctors, lawyers, and software engineers? Because I sure can't.

Part of the article said this:

> The app is only available on iOS, because it would have to collect information on Android that could put people at risk.

Can anyone describe what this means? I don't know of a requirement to collect data on android? Is there something I'm not thinking of?

[EDIT] carried on reading the comments and it appears to be answered here https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44445392

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