What's ironic about that is that when I bought my first such apple, I thought it must have been old as it was so mealy.
What you're saying makes a lot of sense though. I equally remember having a loaf of square bread that comes in plastic (called 'toast bread' in a lot of Europe) lying around for over a month and I could not spot any mould and it was also still soft. It did not taste like 'real' bread even when fresh of course...
US agriculture is seasonal and overproduces, a lot of the excess is stored for months in cold houses and sold over the course of the year. Your apple you just bought could very well be nearly a year old. This is why I've been moving to farmers markets. That's where the flavor is.
What you're saying makes a lot of sense though. I equally remember having a loaf of square bread that comes in plastic (called 'toast bread' in a lot of Europe) lying around for over a month and I could not spot any mould and it was also still soft. It did not taste like 'real' bread even when fresh of course...