Personally, compared to Google, Microsoft, Meta, etc… Apple does a way better job with user privacy.
Google highlights the security of your data, whereas Apple highlights less data collection and control over your data.
They are definitely not a privacy company and if you need more extreme privacy, they are not your best bet.
If your threat model is not extreme I would trust Apple, but de-activate as many iCloud features as possible to get the best privacy you can get. Also, use more privacy-focused services like Proton Mail etc…
In my view, Apple does a lot more to protect user privacy than Google and Meta but, at the end of the day they are still big tech.