Maybe, but the end criticism is the same - Apple doesn't want any of us to repair its iDevices easily or cheaply. (In fact many in Reddit and HN had predicted that this is exactly what Apple would do - make the repair process expensive and deliberately cumbersome).
Strategic perhaps, but is it malicious? Apple sells OEM parts directly to the user. They let you rent and even buy equipment used in their own stores. At this point it's no different than repairing a laptop.