Android isn't much better in this regard. There is realistic choice of two smartphone operating system vendors, both of which exercise total and random control over their stores. If you look at the frontpage of HN today, several fediverse apps were just thrown off the Google Play store, so it's a choice between pest and cholera

I wasn’t aware that Apple would remove an extremely popular app from the app store without giving users any option to continue using it, no.

I’m not particularly invested in Fortnite, but if Apple removes one of my favorite apps I’m going to get really cranky at any friend that suggests that I should have planned ahead for what to do if the app dev and the phone maker got in fight years after I bought my phone.

Being aware of it doesn't mean it was your preference. What if you want an iPhone for the hardware and bought it in spite of rather than because of Apple's restrictions on third party apps?

Moreover, the app you want may not have existed when you bought your first iPhone and became locked into the platform. Or it may have been on the iOS app store at that time and was subsequently removed.

Why would that even matter? People's opinions can change over time.

Of course they can. But he is -not- saying he is denied the right to change his opinion:

"Because you don't have switching costs if you want to shop at another retailer than Target, at any time."

But this should not be a surprise to an Apple customer. This is a 'feature' of Apple products.