PSA: Best Buy's Rewards Program No Longer Offers Points on Apple Products

This is not the time for primarily brick & mortar businesses to cut loyalty perks programs.
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Would it have anything to do with people now using their Apple credit card to purchase Apple items at Best Buy and they don't like the competition?

No
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I noticed this right after I bought my HomePod. :(

I would probably return and let Best Buy store’s OM or GM know why—telling them changes to their loyalty perks program Does not make you feel like Best Buy cares whether you shop there so you won’t be.

Not surprising. If you ever read what you could use your reward zone points for, it would have been easier for BB to just tell you they can only be used for. The points could NOT be used for Apple products or high end audio. As BB has been on their forced slide into obscurity, their management has made as much effort possible to add grease to that downward slope. From their changes in the previously mentioned gaming program, to actually getting rid of the weekly sales ( I didn't catch this but read it on their forums, BB claims it's more convenient for customers to go thru everything on the site or look thru daily deals for sales ), to now this. No surprise.

It's gotten to the point that the list of things excluded from being purchased with reward points, exceeds what they can be used on. My last two purchases with points involved buying K - Cups, because they haven't made the excluded list... yet.

Sadly, my elite BB status as they call it, is based on my buying Apple products. Oh, well...

I pretty much floated my Best Buy Elite membership through iPhone upgrades which kept me coming back, looks like less and less reasons to visit this big box store.

You do still get points if you use your BestBuy card for the purchase though. So that’s up to 6% back still.

Yes. And I am indeed able to use my points to but Apple products. Did this for my 16" MBP. For Elite members, the MBP has 45 day return policy with no restocking fee. All still worth it for me vs. Apple's 3% cash back and 14-day return.

However, BB credit card does offer a deferred 0% interest rate for financing the Apple products - 18 months free interest as long as it's paid off at the end...
Or 5% back in rewards.

Something Apple Card does NOT offer....

Best Buy has been neutralizing this program, as they also recently removed their big video game discounts for those members

I noticed this right after I bought my HomePod. :(

One factor I considered when buying products was Best Buy’s point system if the prices were similar or the same. With this, even for non-Apple products, I will shop elsewhere. They have been slowly but surely cheapening the system anyway.

Not surprising. If you ever read what you could use your reward zone points for, it would have been easier for BB to just tell you they can only be used for. The points could NOT be used for Apple products or high end audio. As BB has been on their forced slide into obscurity, their management has made as much effort possible to add grease to that downward slope. From their changes in the previously mentioned gaming program, to actually getting rid of the weekly sales ( I didn't catch this but read it on their forums, BB claims it's more convenient for customers to go thru everything on the site or look thru daily deals for sales ), to now this. No surprise.

It's gotten to the point that the list of things excluded from being purchased with reward points, exceeds what they can be used on. My last two purchases with points involved buying K - Cups, because they haven't made the excluded list... yet.

Sadly, my elite BB status as they call it, is based on my buying Apple products. Oh, well...

You must be shopping at a Best Buy in some alternate universe. Best Buy absolutely allows you to use your rewards points/certificates towards Apple products. I just used $150 worth of points/certificates towards an iPad Pro. In fact, the rewards certificates can be used towards almost anything that Best Buy sells with very few exclusions. Here is the list of exclusions, directly from the terms. Notice how it says nothing about Apple products:

The following purchases or transactions are excluded from redemption of reward certificates (“Non-Qualifying Redemptions”): Prior purchases, leased products, purchases/rentals at rent-to-own locations inside Best Buy Stores, purchases from a Best Buy Store on a third-party website or marketplace (such as Amazon, Google or eBay), some purchases at stand-alone Pacific Sales® Kitchen and Bath Centers, LLC stores, or at Pacific Sales locations within Best Buy Stores, purchase of Best Buy or Magnolia gift cards, point of sale activation (“POSA”) cards, purchases made for resale, payment on any My Best Buy Credit Card, certain premium major home appliances and home theater products, any online transaction that contains the purchase of a Best Buy gift card, sales tax, service charges, and discounted Best Buy Business or commercial purchases.

Anyways, I have a Best Buy credit card with Elite Plus status, so I'll continue to enjoy 6% back on all of my purchases at Best Buy, including Apple products. :)

You do still get points if you use your BestBuy card for the purchase though. So that’s up to 6% back still.