You can both buy and use an iPhone without creating an Apple account. You are limited to the built-in apps, but those built-in apps cover most common use-cases.
Most people wouldn't want to do this, of course. But you can.
I know exactly what I’m getting when I open the one with Apple, and I have visibility into it from the settings of every device, feels secure and I never get emails or spam associated to it.
The Microsoft account is another story. It’s a black box, I don’t know what they are collecting, I know that even if it looks like a square today, it’ll be a hexagon tomorrow, and a triangle the next day. They’ll change the product name, merge with some other crap, etc. to access it, you’ll have to remember what the service was when you created it. Live? Hotmail? Outlook? Are they the same as my windows account? Who knows.
It’s just not trust worthy IME. I don’t have an issue with creating an account, I have an issue not knowing why I need it or what I get from it.
It absolutely does not.
All this is available without an account.
You could skip social media, but without the others you would basically have to carry around a second phone or be severely handicapped just trying to live a normal life.
Beside all of that, the idea that a $1000 iPhone is usable without an account because you can SMS and check emails is laughable disingenuous.