Why should PSTRB be driven low for read transfers?

It's a valid point to make, comparing the requirements on write strobes in the APB and AHB5 specs, and not one I've considered before now.

So AHB5 describes that it is "recommended" that HWSTRB is de-asserted for read transfers, but actually later on states that HWSTRB can be tied high on a subordinate interface when the connected manager does not generate strobes, so clearly this is a lot less strictly defined when compared to APB.

The only justification I can think of for this difference is that the AHB5 part of a system is more likely to be implemented by more experienced designers (I'm trying not to be disrespectful to designers using APB) who might have a better system understanding of when and why HWSTRB is being used and so less likely to misunderstand what perhaps HWSTRB being asserted (or deasserted) during reads might imply, whereas the APB is meant to be a simple protocol with more strictly defined requirements, and which is more likely to be the protocol used as an external expansion port on a micro-controller for example to allow less experienced users add their own APB peripherals, so we would want to leave less open to interpretation.

However that is quite a weak argument, but is all I can come up with.

But in the end, each protocol clearly states what is and is not allowed for write strobes, and the different protocols have slightly different requirements. This would be something a bridge between AHB5 and APB would need to consider, but otherwise anyone using one or the other protocol knows what they can do with the strobes on their chosen bus.

It's a valid point to make, comparing the requirements on write strobes in the APB and AHB5 specs, and not one I've considered before now.

So AHB5 describes that it is "recommended" that HWSTRB is de-asserted for read transfers, but actually later on states that HWSTRB can be tied high on a subordinate interface when the connected manager does not generate strobes, so clearly this is a lot less strictly defined when compared to APB.

The only justification I can think of for this difference is that the AHB5 part of a system is more likely to be implemented by more experienced designers (I'm trying not to be disrespectful to designers using APB) who might have a better system understanding of when and why HWSTRB is being used and so less likely to misunderstand what perhaps HWSTRB being asserted (or deasserted) during reads might imply, whereas the APB is meant to be a simple protocol with more strictly defined requirements, and which is more likely to be the protocol used as an external expansion port on a micro-controller for example to allow less experienced users add their own APB peripherals, so we would want to leave less open to interpretation.

However that is quite a weak argument, but is all I can come up with.

But in the end, each protocol clearly states what is and is not allowed for write strobes, and the different protocols have slightly different requirements. This would be something a bridge between AHB5 and APB would need to consider, but otherwise anyone using one or the other protocol knows what they can do with the strobes on their chosen bus.