The only reason Linux doesn't have malware/viruses is because the number of people running it on the desktop is basically zero. And the people using them are much more technically savvy so it's really not worth anyone's trouble.

Now if you were to take the package model and move it to Windows it would be the same mess we have today.

Many of us, including Apple, do not want ransomware, malware and viruses on their phone. It's not a computer. It's a phone.

Great then don't install the other repos.

IIRC FB and Uber both got caught doing things other companies couldn't do. Apple's vetting process is not foolproof either. Apps still do things I don't want them to do, on my own device.

Apple can still control the OS and device and sandbox the apps and app stores. It's not an insurmountable problem.

Another thing many dont know is that distros rebuild all software from source code, so any mallware is hard to hide.