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This exactly. Apple is consistently releasing products that I would absolutely buy if they didn't do everything they could to get a horizontal monopoly of microprocessor devices in my house.

Usually I can live with it; I don't see myself switching to Android anytime soon. But the story is different when it's a communal device for everyone in the household.

break up with them

/s jk jk

You're right about not being able to pair as a Bluetooth speaker, but there are some advantages of Airplay (if you're using an Apple device). No pairing required (just shows up as an output device), no wrangling of Bluetooth connections to switch devices.

Surprisingly, it also supports peer to peer play if you don't have a wifi connection.

Of course AirPlay is more streamlined, just like Google Cast is more streamlined. The point is to have a fallback, for the cases when you want to use your expensive device from outside of the golden path.