1. Metaphors are to mechanisms as transvestites are to my mother
2. You simply have a different idea of “simple” than other people, which is why I said that the rotary phone AND the modern handset AND the iPhone are all simple, just simple in different ways.
And that’s the premise of the OP: There is more than one kind of simple, therefore yes, a handset is simpler than a rotary phone but also yes, a rotary phone is simpler than a handset.
I still don't buy that a rotary is really any simpler than any other phone. It is quaint by today's standards, sure, but far from simple. Skipping the difficulties you would have in creating it and the system that had to be built to support it, can you imagine being able to talk to someone in another city for the very first time? That is a concept that goes so far beyond simple that it is magical.
So, I think I can accept "simple is what you are comfortable with, even if you are ignorant of many details." How do you keep stuff cold in your house? Simple, put it in the fridge. How does the fridge work? Well...
2. You simply have a different idea of “simple” than other people, which is why I said that the rotary phone AND the modern handset AND the iPhone are all simple, just simple in different ways.
And that’s the premise of the OP: There is more than one kind of simple, therefore yes, a handset is simpler than a rotary phone but also yes, a rotary phone is simpler than a handset.