A company does not make decisions based on a pure "will to be evil".
They probably think that the reputation hit from not allowing repair is less damaging than the reputation hit from users dissatisfied with repairs. Other design choices can be for cost cutting in design or production.
So sure, it is not nice for the user, but the reason is not a desire to spite users. They likely simply think the additional costs, tangible and intangible, of being repair-friendly are not worth it.
> Shutting down iOS emulation projects seems spiteful.
No, it's because Apple "pays" for OS development by selling hardware. Emulation projects cut into that. It's not spiteful; it's a logical business decision, regardless of whether or not we like it.
This absolutely can be the case. What is the engineering cost of supporting third party components?
What happens to apples image if a crucial calibration is not performed after swapping a component? They might lose that customer forever because “Face-ID doesn’t work”.
What is the cost if your PR image is damaged as a result of third party battery fires? “iPhones explode” would be the headline and third-party batteries would be the footnote.
They have a very specific customer set in mind and they optimize for that really well. Its unfortunate that they don't cater to every market, but they definitely aren't "hostile" to their primary market.