The only reason I got the card was the attractive no-interest financing on Apple products. And even that has become less attractive as Apple/GS only give one year (one!) to pay off a mac, and two years to pay off an iphone (because that makes sense).
As far as transitioning banks, no, you won't have to "reapply" for a new card. When Costco dumped Amex for Citi, I did not have to reapply, and all balances, credit limits, etc. carried over without issue. Yes, it will show as a closed account and, if it was your card with the most longevity, it would affect your score. Given how new the apple card is, I doubt it establishes a majority of users' credit histories or is their "lengthiest" card.
Why is the credit score so important? You really only need good credit once: when you want to get a mortgage. Surely, mortgage lenders look at income vs expenses, savings, outstanding loans, and value to mortgage ratio more closely than they look at a credit score.
Your credit score affects other parts of your life where money is involved. Examples are car and home insurance rates and rates on other loans such as automobiles. It is also looked at by employers prior to after they have hired you but before you start work.
The closed account might cost you a few points for a while, but the scores are volatile enough and vary month to month. Due to a hack of a company’s database they provided those affected with multiple years of credit monitoring. I get continuous updates that I’m up 2 points or down 5 points or up 10 every two weeks or so. There is no rhyme or reason to the fluctuations, some of which have been very large even though I’ve never missed a payment or been late on a payment or carried a balance on any thing other than a mortgage.
I'm sure Apple will find someone else to partner with but I doubt it will be the same terms for Apple and for the card holders. So just have to wait and see.
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