That's definitely what it comes down to, social pressure. Apple is a brand, like Nike or Ralph Lauren. Everyone else is a broke bitch for not buying in, and they don't want to be seen hanging around "the poors" π
Discussion
Aside from iMessage and the increasingly deteriorating design guidelines and principles Apple utilizes for both hardware and software, both Android and iOS are on feature parity.
There's no reason to fanboy for either aside from desiring more freedom to do shit on your phone, which Apple makes a bit more difficult compared to Android's sideloading.