I think the real takeaway is that Apple has achieved a psychotic break from actual users, and its internal forces are driving decisions. Somehow user testing signal has been captured by these forces, and market signals are overwhelmed by the overall quality premium they deliver (and you can never prove the negative of how much better sales would have been without this).
I care less about the quality failings than the signs the Apple is too big to manage through the next few years. They’ve done a great job asserting independence from chip makers, but they’re no where near independent enough for the new era of assertive nationalism.