Define worse. There's an advantage to "vendor lock-in" in that having control over the whole product gives you advantages others won't have. It allows you to make guarantees others won't, too. Apple can warrant the hardware and software but Microsoft never will, for example.
I consider beeing coerced to use a limited set of services (for some functionalities) a huge disadvantage. It is a question of control and autonomy over your systems. Do you have control over your machine, or is it the other way around?
> having control over the whole product gives you advantages others won't have
And that is exactly what you abandon, as a user of locked-in software.
I concur infsofar, as there is a set of real world applications, where the advantage you describe really counts. Industrial control systems or hardware for medical applications for example.
You are ignoring the vast majority of users, most of whom aren't on HN or reddit, who don't want such control over their systems and just want them to do what they want and reliably so. Apple fulfills that need and does an excellent job of it.
Note: I own no Apple products except for an original iPad given to me on my birthday. I built my own systems from scratch, as a former electronic engineer, and create web sites on FreeBSD.
