It’s actually a perfectly fine reason to rule out a car. Some people prioritize the niceties of a car over other features. At this point any car without CarPlay (or a replaceable heady it) is a non-starter for me as well. To each their own.

Why?

I have a long commute, the only thing that makes it bearable is choosing the content I listen to. The app makes a difference here - PocketCasts and Spotify have features that others don't - so I do want to use their native interfaces. The apps I use in the car have great Android Auto interfaces which simplify content selection. Using Android Auto also integrates with the other features on the phone, such as phone calls, calendar reminders, "OK Google", and maps. This essentially defines my entire driving experience at the moment.

If Tesla's interface doesn't support an app that I want to use (eg. Spotify) then I would have to resort to using the phone over Bluetooth. I wouldn't just say "oh well, I spent $50k on this car but it doesn't support PocketCasts so I guess I'll listen to something else for the next hour" every day. This makes the big touchscreen rather useless, and is going to be more dangerous than my current car because I will be fiddling with the phone.

Maybe I'll just get a big suction cup and mount my phone right on top of the touchscreen, using Android Auto on the phone itself over Bluetooth.

There are people talking about how being able to watch Netflix, integrate Spotify into their Tesla make it a "joyous" experience to own, and that's valid, but saying that "lack of Apple CarPlay" is a negative against the car is a "bad" opinion?

I have a Tesla. I wish it could use CarPlay and/or Android Auto. The Tesla ecosystem is rather lacking.