macOS doesn't allow that by default, though unlike iOS it is possible to social engineer users to launch shady apps
> apps that are not possible because would be rejected or cannot use private API that apple apps have
The range of spyware that will become possible is much bigger than potential new apps that somehow can do a good thing with a private API. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43197091
1) apps still notarised so if app later detected to be malicious it can be remotely uninstalled
2) if it's you grandma/grandpa phone - allow to setup iphone as more limited parental control that only other from family can install apps
3) do automatic apps scanning before installation to detect app is malicious - revoke developer certificate in this case or ask them for clarification
the world didn't collapse because the world is not using laptops/desktops as dominant computers for many many years.
Ordinary people use phones. Anyone using laptop is to a degree professional especially in any third world country. Somebody who mostly abandoned using laptop literally yesterday told me "I got a new laptop from work but I'll just get a virus in a week won't I". This is the adversarial reality the rose-eyed takes about freedom of computing are contending with. Maybe most of them live in the past when computers were used by tech literate and blackhat hacking was in intancy.
Yes and infected Xcode and various SDKs you get on your laptop are actually the biggest threat to iOS security (other than just literally malicious devs). Devs torrenting an xcode and then infecting their users is a thing.
> Smartphones were not main device 10 years ago and people did bank transfers on laptop and world didn't collapse 10 years ago
See blackhats in infancy part...
Would it happen as often if the tooling was free?
Xcode is free
If you worry about your family why apple cannot provide some similar but simpler tooling like parental control where (non-tech savvy) family will have to ask you for confirmation? In his situation you would be some administrator or guardian but will much less permissions.
Why bother? It's win win for user and developer because they can offer you something cheaper. They can advertise you that if you buy subscription from 1st hand it will be cheaper.
It would also allow different business model - instead of monthly / yearly subscription you can charge for app one time and then maybe for big upgrade every few years.
But it's not only that about the cost. You would be allowed to have apps that are not possible because would be rejected or cannot use private API that apple apps have. It would allow to have browser that support fullscreen mode, push notifications like android, better PWA support, WebGPU support. Faster cross platform apps (react-native) that allow access to JIT. 3rd party keyboard that allow much better voice transcription even locally (all 3rd part keyboard have it kind of broken right now because of API limitation) and the list goes on.