I'd consider the ICC office an issuer of last resort; if you can get a local card with similar features, it is likely to be better in terms of MR transfer partners, special offers, and so on.

I wouldn't hold my breath for Apple Pay support with the ICC cards, for example.

ICC probably feels that they have a captive audience of sorts. The benefit they provide is tied to the international nature of the offering rather than concrete value over any domestic competition they might have.