I'll believe it when they're both independently audited and found to be measurably better. Apple is incredibly secretive so although they might not end up in headlines, there's no guarantee they're any better than Google.
Their business model is only revealed to us to the extent of what we can publicly observe, but otherwise unknown to both me and you. Like parent said, Apple is very secretive. There is nothing stopping them from having their hardware business and making money from your data.
All corporations' business models relies on maximizing profit however they can and therefore will violate your privacy. It's that simple. Google = Apple.
(Hint: your pithy statement is equally meaning free)
