[dangus]

I would say in select markets only.

Apple switched to USB-C because making separate hardware SKUs to comply with the EU would be costly. Even then, they only did so after creating a new standard and accessory ecosystem to replace lightning port revenue (MagSafe).

When it comes to allowing third-party app stores, Apple is only going to do that in regions where law forces them to do so.

[alphabettsy]

Apple already had and has multiple hardware SKUs for the iPhone to support different regions, for example the US phones have no SIM tray while other areas still did/do.

They were already using USB-C on the Mac and iPad so I don’t believe the EU mandate forced anything but maybe the timeline.

That said, I wouldn’t be surprise if side-loading is limited to the markets where it’s required.

[dangus]

I think it will be limited by market simply because a software change has the lowest possible barrier.

It's a good point about the SIM tray, although I wonder if that's less complicated than a port change.