What would a "legitimate competitor" look like to you?

Samsung and LG make high-end phones, and there are plenty of good personal computer vendors. And Windows is certainly a desktop OS that some people choose.

Apple doesn't offer any services unique to itself. It does offer a slick-looking and well-marketed "ecosystem" which is really just a bunch of different things that you could get from other vendors.

That competitor is GrapheneOS. For now, the OS runs on Pixel phones only, but they plan to release their own phone in partnership with an OEM. I expect that this will easily be the most secure and privacy respecting phone out there when it releases. You get more or less 100% Android compatibility except for a handful of apps that enforce the Play Integrity cancer.

IMO this is the true root of the problem. You have two options: Android or iPhone. Apple simply has no financial incentive to fix anything.

So I 100% agree, we need more competition. I was hopeful for a fleeting moment in time with the Firefox phone.

You can't because there is a network monopoly and barrier to entry is sky high. Realistically, your only option is to piggyback on Android by developing an Android-compatible OS like Huawei did. However this will soon become impossible anyway, as Google will abuse Play Integrity to make your device unusable.

The only way out is either regulation or a whole paradigm shift that renders phones irrelevant. I'm not sure the latter will happen any time soon.

Yeah, but it's not really their software that's the moat they rely on. It's a lot more to that. They have incredible branding, Devices may be MID, but at least they make good commercials guys..... Plus, everyone's like sheep. If everyone's getting the latest iPhone, they're going to continue to get the latest iPhone because everyone else is getting the latest iPhone. *Sending dis off of a MacBook with my iPhone 16 in my left pocket btw*