How many people don't even have payment info in their Google or Microsoft account? They can't pay anyway and payment info is not required so clearly that's not it.
I'd just like to download apk files from the play store, but that's not possible without an account even though there's no reason for it whatsoever. Moreover, I'd like to contribute to many apps while still not attaching payment info to my account. Currently I bought some pro versions of apps via gift cards, but this doesn't work for subscriptions (even if you have 100 bucks prepaid on your account and the subscription is 1 buck a month, and don't get me started on country locking the credit). They all want to have your data and lock you in.
I'm not complaining about Windows 10 in particular.
I'm complaining about walled gardens and application "stores" that require an account in particular, even when they don't require payment information (making them not a store at all, just a walled application garden).
And yes, I have used the Windows Store once or twice, but I don't see how that changes anything.
I'd just like to download apk files from the play store, but that's not possible without an account even though there's no reason for it whatsoever. Moreover, I'd like to contribute to many apps while still not attaching payment info to my account. Currently I bought some pro versions of apps via gift cards, but this doesn't work for subscriptions (even if you have 100 bucks prepaid on your account and the subscription is 1 buck a month, and don't get me started on country locking the credit). They all want to have your data and lock you in.