> A lot of terrible eating apples are great for baking, Granny Smith for example.

There's no accounting for taste. Grany Smith is my favourite eating apple.

I dunno - honeycrisp is not bad in a pie either. Depends on your preferred consistency at the end game.

Preference for consistency is also very subjective - gala apples while "mediocre" were preferred by my kids as they're "softer" when slightly overripe, better for smaller younger mouths.

Granny Smith falls apart when baked; I prefer something that retains some toothy-ness like a Rome.

I distinctly remember picking red delicious as easily my favorite apple in the 80's. It's unrecognizable now.