When has Apple ever referred to their ecosystem as a walled garden? I've only seen it used negatively.

To me "walled garden" sounds pretty negative. It's a wonderful place unavailable to pretty much everyone. Some pretty anti-democratic, capitalistic s*t. But I suppose it carries different connotations for different people.

What's your preferred terminology? "Monopolist prison" comes to mind as an alternative that's not possible to interpret positively.

Golden cage?

Don't call it an 'ecosystem': it's a zoo.

How do you figure? I've always seen walled garden used in a negative sense