[quesera]

Artificial software barriers are the norm, and often desirable. Cars, TVs, dishwashers, game consoles, etc etc.

General purpose computers are the exception.

While most people have never given it any thought at all, many of the rest of us absolutely do not want our phone to be a GPC.

[ben-schaaf]

Cars, dumb TVs, dishwashers, etc. aren't general purpose computer platforms. There's no market for running arbitrary software on them, nor do they contain a web-browser.

Smart TVs, game consoles, phones and tablets on the other hand already are general purpose computers. It is possible for someone to run whatever they want on them, be it by jumping through all the hoops or just by hosting a website. These artificial software barriers exist purely as anti-consumer rent extraction; they don't limit the functionality of the device beyond putting a price on participation.