In bad times, "economics" will dictate keeping an old (dumb) phone instead of upgrading to the higher cost of a plan for a smart phone (even if the phone itself is free), or dumping a smart phone and its higher plan costs in favor of simple, basic cell phone service. For the vast majority of people, a smart phone is a luxury, anyway you look at it.
Years ago Apple became popular among kids because they gave computers to the schools. It was a good marketing approach for them. When parents starting buying, they bought what the kids were familiar with. Then, pc's became popular in business settings, and parents started buying what they were familiar with. Apple still has a very active program to donate computers to schools, both in the US and Canada.