[danielmarkbruce]

The concern is bad actors - that some random app (not your bank) gets access to NFC.

Choice isn't always good. Especially where consumers don't really understand all the implications. My mom doesn't benefit from choice here, she is actively harmed by it, she knows it, she uses Apple to avoid it.

[freeAgent]

Your mom already chooses to use Apple for this reason, so presumably would also not use a third-party App Store or sideloaded apps, so she could still benefit from the Apple security blanket even while theoretically having choice.

[danielmarkbruce]

Until she gets a link in an email which confuses her and causes the download. People are really bad at this stuff.

[freeAgent]

Yeah, though hopefully there is some sort of warning (or setting that prevents sideloading when enabled) that makes her think twice. Or, you could perhaps make her a “kids” profile unable to install anything without permission.

[danielmarkbruce]

Sure - but why? Part of Apple's value prop is convenience. This extra app store thing doesn't sound convenient for Apple's customers. Apple isn't trying to make life difficult for consumers, they do make life difficult for developers and others in the ecosystem in many cases - but it's almost always to make life easier for their end customers.

[freeAgent]

"doesn't sound convenient for Apple's customers"

Then nobody will use them if Apple allows them. If they do it like Google, by default users cannot sideload or install alternative app stores anyway. It's opt-in. Why do you want to prevent people who actively want to do these things with their phones from doing them?

If Apple's goal is to make things as "easy" for people as possible, then they should just not have any app store at all. And they shouldn't offer different configurations. They should just release an Apple iPhone that comes however it comes and nothing about it can be modified. That would be super convenient!

[danielmarkbruce]

>> Why do you want to prevent people who actively want to do these things with their phones from doing them?

I don't want to. I want Apple to make the decision. I want Apple to make 1000s of decisions for me around my phone. They seem to be good at it, at least with respect to end users.

And, no, a non-app store phone wouldn't be convenient. Uber is very convenient. So is my banking app. There are dozens of very convenient apps on my phone.