[samuraixp]

Surely this is the beginning of providing a side loading option. Perhaps if they enforce the purchase of a paid developer account they can get their pound of flesh from the users on their way out of the store. It would be ironic if iPhone users paid Apple 100 USD a year to side load to play Fortnite etc...

[Dracophoenix]

Many people have already been doing just that for years albeit with Infinity Blade. Anyone with a free developer account can sign and sideload 3 apps while those with a paid one can sign an unlimited number of apps.

This might be a more pessimistic reading, but from what I can glean, Apple added a warning toggle and app code requirement to the sideloading and signing process. That's it. Nothing presented here indicates the lifting of any previous restrictions or the addition of any new features like on-device app-signing/compiling, now or in the future. If anything, this "Developer Mode" is another layer of soft lockout to those who wish to load jailbreaks or non-Appstore apps onto their phones. Those who don't know any better will think that Apple is capitulating, when the likelier scenario is that Apple is putting on a show to quell the complainers while quietly expanding its control.