"Until finally back home, I do some research and figure out what's going on: A scourge of cheap "lightning" headphones and lightning accessories is flooding certain markets, unleashed by unscrupulous Chinese manufacturers who have discovered an unholy recipe: True Apple lightning devices are more expensive to make."

Why are they more expensive to make. Is it for the good of humanity?

Recommended viewing:

https://www.metacritic.com/movie/steve-jobs/

Computers as "art", according to preferences of one person, versus computers as machines for the benefit of everyone.

Closed systems to extract maximum profits for Apple versus open systems that can be modified and expanded to benefit everyone.

"I wish @Apple would devote an employee or two to cracking down on such a technological, psychological abomination as this."

How about lowering the cost of making "lightening" devices. How about offering the option to use a non-proprietary protocol?

"And I wish humanity would use its engineering prowess for good, and not opportunistic deception."

No doubt that's what people is rural Chile want, too. They do not mind paying higher prices. As long as the products are "Apple-certified". /s

This person tweeting seems to be having a hallucination where Apple is neither opportunistic nor deceptive. Nevermind its deliberate attempts to make its computers incompatible (preventing interoperability) and needlessly expensive.