what will be “messed up” about your phone if apple gives people the choice to get apps from outside the app store?
The free market can currently choose the Single App Store of the iOS ecosystem or the more open Android compatibles. There’s great choices out there. What you are arguing for is to remove my choice for an ecosystem with a single App Store. This is one of the things that differentiates Apple from it’s competitors.
I choose the iOS ecosystem exactly because of the single App Store. A single, trusted entity with my credit card details. A single point of contact for all of my subscriptions. A very narrow attack surface area for hackers and a company with the resources and motivation to keep my data safe.
I do not want to go to an epic store for their games and give them my CC details.
I do not want to go to a MS store for my Office software and then give them my CC details.
I do not want to go to an Adobe Store and give them my CC details.
I do not want an Affinity store and give them my details.
I do not want an Activision store and give them my details.
I do not want an EA store and give them my details.
Etc, etc, etc.
You say that I could continue to use the Apple App Store and nothing would change for me but you fail to consider that these companies will not be releasing their app on the Apple Store when they have their own stores.
It will turn into the Wild West of poor user experience and large attack surface area for hackers. I would then have to change my CC/ personal details with every store for any change in my circumstances. There will be multiple privacy policies etc etc. This is exactly the problem that iOS fixes and just because it has always been different on desktop, doesn’t mean we should embrace the suck on mobile.
NO THANK YOU!
So in arguing that Apple should allow other App stores to increase user choice, you actually end up reducing user choice. I, and all the other users like me, will no longer have the option to choose an integrated experience.