A lot of people can't afford their cars and buy with credit. Something you can't really do on phone plans.
Also, this way you can add another middle man that makes money data-mining your browsing habits.
Also, this way you can add another middle man that makes money data-mining your browsing habits.
They pay for it in a monthly rolled up price, and at the end of their contract they own the device outright, obviously with all caveats surrounding leasing any asset.
You can't sensibly pay for a recurring expense on credit.