Hopefully I can reply to this thread before it gets closed too :)
If you want to make money selling overpriced applications, sure go with IOS - but does that revenue even include ad money (which tends to be better as well as more common on Android, due to being massively more popular)?
This is also missing a point: if you want maximum revenue, one shouldn't limit yourself to one platform anyway. But I think the OP is asking about his personal choice of a phone, with the possibility of getting into programming. For personal use there are other considerations for development choices. For starters you can only develop for IOS with Apple computers, so for personal use that's now dictating what computers you have. I also like the market with 85% share - whether that's seeing millions of downloads, or just being able to share with people and having most people be able to run it (rather than it being limited to only people with the same make of phone as you).
Lastly, one can just as well pluck up references that show it's actually Windows Phone that beats either Android or Iphone (
http://betanews.com/2016/02/29/windows-phone-developer-revenue/ ) (I suspect the issue is that despite fewer users than either, there are also fewer competing applications; plus maybe they spend more too.)
Programming choices may also depend on what you're used to: Ubuntu obviously seems more natural if you run Ubuntu on PCs anyway (and you probably need Ubuntu to develop with?); Windows Phone uses the same languages/tools as Windows 10 development, and uses tools like Visual Studio - and requires a Windows PC; Iphone development requires an Apple computer; Android is probably most flexible in that you can develop on Windows/OS X/Linux. But I guess it also depends on whether you want to try something completely new anyway.
Personally I prefer smartphones to feature phones, I've had Nexuses and found them great (currently with the Nexus 6). They've traditionally had a more developer-oriented focus. The Samsung Galaxy S series are traditionally the crown of smartphones, but if you want something not so expensive, the Nexuses tend to be better value too (especially the 5s), whilst still being decent.
If you want a smartphone, don't get a blackberry. They're basically circling the drain.
Blackberrys run Android now, so he get a phone with the keyboard he likes, whilst still running Android, and not being limited due to a platform dying.
