>Am I missing something?

I don't really care about taking high quality photos ( or any photos)

Well, indeed in that case it doesn't matter as much. But with 2 kids, taking high quality photos is number 2 on my phone whishlist, right after being an actual phone

When you experience something novel or special, do you not feel inclined to capture a moment of it so it can be better remembered?

When you go out with friends you haven't seen in a while, isn't it nice to have a photo to compare with to see how much you've changed?

I think given the options of a) having a photographical recollection of your life and b) having nothing, I'm not sure why would one pick the latter.

No, but this is a big reason for your average person that your typical HN commenter might overlook. :) Most people I talk to these days notice the camera quality as one of the main upgrades on new phone, and the behavior of caring about the person with the latest and greatest phone taking the group picture is almost universal. I think this especially applies to parents/families.