I mean, it’s absolutely petty, yes. OTOH, while it worded as being aimed at EU users spending a short while outside of the US, it’s very clearly aimed at non-EU citizens trying to also profit from the EU ruling.
Example: if a US citizen takes a weeklong trip to Italy, they now have access to third-party stores, but Apple basically makes them unusable as soon as they’re stateside. Can’t have nice things.
China: “Remove all VPNs” Apple: “Sure thing”
China: “…and podcast apps” Apple: “Can do boss!”
China: “…and also hand over all iCloud data for our citizens” Apple: “I mean why wouldn’t we? Here you go!”
EU: “Allow alternate app stores, and do it fairly” Apple: “Ahhh hell no! This is so unfair you guys are bullies! Malware! Privacy! We have standards! Unlike you we care about our users!”
Manipulating public opinion might work better in democracies than with authoritarian regimes. It’s just businesses.
how gracious!