[former]

  * Monolithic endpoint hardware architecture is a root cause issue 
  * Closed ecosystem, e.g. by Apple, is a root cause issue
  * Not everyone has the resources to build/maintain a proper portable NOC"
  * A "portable NOC" can conceivably be architected into endpoint architecture
  * VPN should be an entirely separate appliance within the device itself, physically distinct from the network interface and endpoint

Planty of opportunity here for secure rebuild, but who can possibly dethrone Google/Apple's trillion dollar entrenched ecosystem? Besides, why re-architect just the endpoints? The flat, single-pipe global internet is part of the root cause issue.

Throw it all out, start over. Another life, maybe.