Honestly? The average person had a different value system.

The freedom some developers want isn’t something the majority of users want.

Personally, I haven’t been significantly limited by Apple’s rules. I like that Apple controls the billing, so I don’t have to deal with credit cards being stolen or companies making unsubscribing difficult. I like that they at least have some review process and will pull bad apps.

I like that I can go to my local Apple store for support. Google? They are possibly the most user hostile company I know.

I like that someone actually gives a damn about privacy and security when online services are getting hacked left and right.

Apple is far from perfect but they will fight a big companies and governments for violating their rules or endangering user privacy. They’ve told publicly EA, Facebook, and the US government to pound sand. (China is a no-win situation, Apple decided to play ball to keep that market.)

So yes, I’ll happily trade some freedom for safety and security.