Foxconn is the most prominent contract manufacturer that Apple uses, Samsung makes iPhone screens, etc.; their infrastructure and manufacturing pipeline is the same as everyone else's. And suggesting that Apple's leadership in processor design can't be toppled is akin to saying that Intel's leadership in chip design can't be toppled back in the several decades when they were dominant.
It's the design and ecosystem that keeps consumers buying Apple product but what used to be seen as cool and hip can turn old-fashioned after a while; Sony's Walkman products used to be everywhere but where are they now?
You’re not going to get the same prices or priorities from Foxconn or TSMC with a less than 10 million device run rate that Apple gets by selling 300 million + devices. Besides Apple invest billions in TSMC and Foxconn and their other suppliers.
Do you remember that Apple became dominant in the iPod era by buying up all of the worlds supply of 2.5 inch hard drives and later flash chips?
Anyone else is going to struggle to get the prices or manufacturing time from suppliers to produce at scale.
Heck Sony is struggling to make even 21 million PS5 in a year. If Sony can’t manufacture at scale, which electronic manufacturer can?
It’s not just priced for design, it’s processor design, supply chain management, software, software/hardware integration etc.
It's the design and ecosystem that keeps consumers buying Apple product but what used to be seen as cool and hip can turn old-fashioned after a while; Sony's Walkman products used to be everywhere but where are they now?