Wealthy customers, strong margins will help Apple weather rampant inflation, recession better than rivals

In May, the annual inflation rate in the U.S. was 8.6%, the highest level since 1981. Some other major markets for Apple sales are also seeing inflation due to the supply chain disruptions from the various and sundry responses to COVID-19 around the world.
Apple Park in Cupertino, California
Kif Leswing for CNBC:

Many firms, especially those with pricing power, can pass increased costs onto their customers by raising prices, particularly if demand is strong…
But Apple may not have to eat those higher costs at all.
Customers tend to have significant disposable income, compared to buyers of Android devices, who tend to choose based on price.
In the “ultra-premium market,” or phones that cost over $1,000, Apple took 66% of unit shipments during the first quarter, according to Counterpoint.
“With global inflation rising, the entry-level and lower price band segments are likely to be harder hit,” Counterpoint researchers wrote.
A Morgan Stanley survey from June said 70% of U.S. consumers were were planning to cut back on spending over the next six months because of inflation. But wealthy households — Apple’s customers — were more positive about their finances and the trajectory of the economy.
“Households with an income of $150K+ are more resilient; the highest uptick in plans to cut back is observed among the mid-tier income cohort,” Morgan Stanley analysts wrote.

MacDailyNews Take: Hee Haw!
Those who settle for Android devices are not equal to iOS users. The fact is that iOS users are worth significantly more than Android settlers to developers, advertisers, third-party accessory makers (speakers, cases, chargers, cables, etc.), vehicle makers, musicians, TV show producers, movie producers, book authors, carriers, retailers, podcasters… The list goes on and on.
The quality of the customer matters. A lot.
Facile “analyses” that look only at market (unit) share, equating one Android settler to one iOS user, make a fatal error by incorrectly equating users of each platform one-to-one.
When it comes to mobile operating systems, all users are simply not equal. – SteveJack, MacDailyNews, November 15, 2014
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