It kinda sucks a little that Golden Apples have been given this new potential, but will very rarely be able to realise it due to the new crafting recipe.
A possible solution could be to slightly increase the likelihood of finding Gold Ingots. However, that does bring forward the problem of a new ease of obtaining gold armour. I know 24 would be needed to craft a full set of armour so it shouldn't affect it too much, but the right balance would need to be found. If anything, though, crafting your own gold armour could be a nice idea to promote instead of just finding it.
Either way, alongside the drain of the food bar for natural healing, PvP has definitely changed quite a bit.