Why doesn't the App Store prompt for older versions on first download?

I thought Apple user interfaces were supposed to be slick.  Here's what I have to do to install an app.  I've inherited a first generation iPad from a friend.  The iPad was fully erased and set back to factory defaults before I got it.  I have created my Apple ID and started customising the machine to suit me.  The machine is running the very latest version of IOS it is capable of supporting 5.1.1.  So I gaily visit the app store and start trying to install a few apps I like.  Of course today 90% of the apps in the store are designed for IOS 6 or later and simply refuse to install at all.  So here is the rather less than slick workaround I have to do. 
First I have to put the iPad away and go to my Windows 8.1 Desktop computer running iTunes.  I log in using my Apple ID, visit the App Store, pick the apps I want and download a few that I'd like to my computer.  I then switch back to using the iPad.  Now I see the apps I've downloaded to the computer attempting to install themselves on the iPad.  If I've downloaded more than one app.  This fails for all the apps.  I have to wait for all the apps to fail, then delete them from the iPad and then visit the App Store on the iPad and navigate to Purchased Apps section.  Now I can see my apps waiting and can attempt to install them one at a time.  If I do this then, each app attempts to install singly, fails, and then I am gracefully asked if I'd like to download an older version of the app.  If I do that the download and install works - hooray!  I then repeat this process for the remaining apps.  Next time I need to install any apps I have to repeat the whole process.  It's not what I'd call slick. 
Why on earth doesn't the App Store simply prompt for an older version of the app when I first want to install it? 
Why do I have to do the rigmarole of switching to my PC, downloading there, and then switching back to the iPad again just to force the "Would you like to download an older version of the App" prompt to appear? 
I'm not impressed so far.

No one here can speak for Apple since we are all just users like you. Perhaps the answer is as simple as this. This feature just rolled out recently. Perhaps Apple thought it was important enough to make it available before they had built out the whole solution.
Just a thought.

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