Apple could sell high priced official replacement cables, as they do for literally every other product in their entire lineup. The only "support issue" here is that if something goes wrong with the cable, you're now stuck dealing with Apple Care or warranty replacement instead of just buying a new cable. As noted in the comments on the Linus Tech Tips video I linked in the article, the monitor is also now region-locked to the place you bought it, since it’ll only work with its home country’s power standard. That’s harder on the shipping end for Apple since they have to make specific monitors for each part of the world (instead of just shipping a different cable in the box) and even more anti-consumer since you can’t get a good sale price on the device in a neighboring country and import it.

They've added a new pain point that no other monitor on the market has had for the last 25 years. Would you buy a high-end car with no trunk/boot lid installed by default?

First it was the $999 stand, now a permanent cable and stand with a $400 upgrade option. Who knows what they'll try next? Permanently attached display port? A proprietary display input system? Locking the monitor to a single Apple ID user?

Also, you never wanted to position a monitor more than six feet from an outlet? Standing desks and many normal studio setups will only have additional challenges with this short cable. Sure, you could use an extension cord, but that's creating clutter which would defy Apple's world of clean lines and walnut tables.

As long as people keep telling themselves stuff like this is "fine" and paying through the nose, it won't get better. Apple is a *trillion dollar company.* They don't need you to defend their crap.