Come on, burying side loading in a setting and having a giant red warning is good enough to keep the vast majority of users out of using it. No reason they can't offer that technically.
Then let those users rot. To give up a fundamental component of computing because a few desperate users figure out how to sideload some garbage on their phones is one of the silliest arguments I've ever seen. Apple locks shit down because it makes them more money, plain and simple.
Those users are Apple's target market, you are not.
The main reason people buy Apple devices today is that the software ecosystem is consistent and predictable. This isn't silly, this is a core value proposition.
Meanwhile, millions of Android devices have shipped with with literal malware from the factory. I know because I used to develop custom ROMs to remove the malware that my own carrier installed on my phone.
I doubt Apple is primarily concerned about losing money to side-loading. The vast majority of users purchase apps from the default store on their phone.
To be clear, people buy iphones because it's a status symbol with good marketing.
But also nothing youve written prevents what both of us want. The average user can use their iPhone as they always have. Those of us who care about freedom could install what we want. Apple sells phones. You dont need to defend everything they do, eh, they dont actually care about you or me.
You might be savvy enough to not be concerned about being fooled into installing malware on your device. But this design decision was not for you.