The fact that Apple can't/won't explain this practice is strange, but on surface seems not dissimilar to a former (maybe current) practice of Boalt Law (a US to

The fact that Apple can't/won't explain this practice is strange, but on surface seems not dissimilar to a former (maybe current) practice of Boalt Law (a US top 10 school) which does not publish graduate rankings (e.g. "top of their class") as they view themselves as "if you were good enough to graduate from Boalt, you are good enough, period." So this definitely could be read into several ways.