Yeah, really, shouldn't that be expected? A phone costs much less than a computer and people are not impeded from side-switching by loads of apps that run on a specific OS.

Not these phones. Recall that you're also signing up for a two-year contract with AT&T. So about $2000 over two years.

People discount the monthly cost when considering a device with a service contract. And when it comes to phones most of them are just deciding which provider to go with, so the difference in monthly cost between two phones may be a consideration but the total cost is already factored in.