iCloud is very useful in the Apple system. If you've got a family using Apple devices you might as well get enough to back them all up in one shared plan. But I get that it's yet another monthly cost that people might be willing or able to spend. At the very least Apple could offer full data backup for phones on iCloud for free. I know it's a cash cow for them and they'll still get people wiling to pay to back up their messages, photos, etc. But at least make it possible for people to restore their lost or broken phones since they've already paid more than $800 for the device.