[geoffhill]

So speaking just in terms of the JRE, is there any reason to download it from Oracle instead of Apple? A separate Oracle updating program is a much less elegant solution than the current Software Updates integration that Apple uses.

[chc]

Apple has EOL'd its Java and told people to switch to Oracle's version. That's a pretty good reason IMO.

[ConstantineXVI]

Main reason; the Apple JRE is still Java 6 (and will remain so for eternity).