'I've been telling people with an iPhone or IPad to record directly into it for a long time.
$200-300 worth of Apogee or other junk to record is fussy and unnecessary from everything I've seen and tried
Respectfully, I have to disagree with you.
The Apogee MiC and Apogee JAM connect via a SINGLE cable either to USB or to your iOS device. There's no fussing at all with multiple mics, mic stands, multiple XLR, USB and RCA cables and preamps and such, it's ONE cable and that's IT. That's why I use it, because of how easy it is to setup.
While a 'decent' recording can be had with the pinhole electret mic in an iOS device, a
superior recording can be captured with a mic that has a 25mm diaphragm such as an Apogee MiC.
The active surface area that captures sound in an iPhone's/iPad's mic is only about 2mm in diameter. (I know first hand since I've taken dozens of them apart for family members to replace batteries and cracked screens with instructions and parts from ifixit.com)
The Apogee MiC's high-quality transducer element inside the mesh grill, is at least 10x the size of that inside any iOS device.
On average a larger surface area transducer will produce a more accurate capture of natural sound vs a smaller area transducer. This is simple physics, and generally accepted scientific fact.
However, most average folks lack the hearing acuity to hear any difference, and for them, ignorance is bliss.
*I* like the Apogee products and will use them to great effect.
Please don't bash specific products you've not had meaningful hands-on experience with, or even understand how and why they work the way that they do, it's not very nice...