I don't mind so much that it's paid, given how much use I get for the price, but it sucks knowing it sucks and not being able to help make it better.
It improved my grades so much in college that I spent the 25 bucks as a broke student so I could have it on my second hand iPad. This was before AnkiDroid even existed so it's amazing the price is still the same.
Very appealing, makes people try app immediately. :)
It seems a lot like saying nobody should use GMail unless they agree to pay for premium Google Services.
Anki app has an interface for adding/editing cards, and can absolutely be used without AnkiWeb or syncing. In fact, this is how I used it myself for years. I would argue that using AnkiWeb and syncing is an advanced feature for people who got the taste of having own decks and don't want to loose it.
I think this "problem" is somewhat made up
(I think the data model underneath Anki is...showing its age (and lack of explicit design) and building that on top of it would not be too easy. I've thought about it a few times.)
This fictional person you describe also has access to the web and Anki on there.
Anki is not a very useful tool if you are not making or editing your own decks or a teacher is for you. This is an incredibly painful experience on mobile.
I would agree with you, but he doesn't seem to mind