> I think Apple's point is they think users are too dumb to handle that and they don't want user ignorance to reflect poorly on them or their product experience.
And I sympathize with this argument, which is why I propose calling the outside-the-garden toggle “Developer Mode.” Apple already has “Pro” phones and headphones. This is just an extension of that.
So when the user toggles the Developer mode they get a dialog box that says we can’t do refunds or offer support until you turn this off, which will delete any 3P apps.
My concern is that once Apple offers it, various companies will tell their customers they have to enable it to install their apps, and customers will do so and blame the fallout on Apple, regardless of any disclaimer.
There's a couple of things Apple can do to dissuade companies from taking this route:
1.) Suspend the device warranty. The warranty on your device is suspended while in "Developer Mode" or whatever it is they want to call it. They can make switching over to "Developer Mode" go through various prompts to make sure you're okay with what you're doing.
2.) When launching the app that's not from the app store they can popup a warning informing you that this application was not obtained from the app store and therefore wasn't inspected by Apple. It may contain malware that dames your device or compromises your data.
3.) Periodically popup a window for a running application that wasn't obtained from the app store. If you leave the app running then maybe you get a daily reminder that the app is still running. Maybe you can get an activity report of sorts for it to - so you can see what the app has been up to.
4.) When disabling "Developer Mode" then list all the applications not obtained from the app store that will be removed from the device. Those applications will be removed when disabling "Developer Mode."
I think there's a way to do this that protect's everyone's interests and allows Apple's customers to make informed choices.
The Xbox consoles have a model that could be followed here that would be interesting:
> Xbox retail consoles can have two modes, Retail Mode (1) and Developer Mode (2). In Retail Mode, the console is in its normal state: you can play games and run apps acquired through the Xbox store. In Developer Mode, you can develop and test software for the console, but you cannot play retail games or run retail apps.
Couldn't Epic, et. al still have an issue with this? I would see them argue that putting this behind a developer mode is still too restrictive and 'unfair.' Most user's wouldn't know what developer mode implies and Epic would have to have a list of instructions on their install page to show users how to enable it. That is not a small barrier to entry for many users. Not sure what my opinion is, just thinking out loud.
There are alternative App Stores for Android that put up with this, so it's at least better than nothing. If the store requests 'install app' permissions it pops up an allow/deny prompt, which isn't too user-hostile. Apple could do that.
While Epic is suing Google right now, it's mostly for anti-competitive measures other than this, like threatening phone vendors to stop them from bundling Epic's store.
And I sympathize with this argument, which is why I propose calling the outside-the-garden toggle “Developer Mode.” Apple already has “Pro” phones and headphones. This is just an extension of that.
So when the user toggles the Developer mode they get a dialog box that says we can’t do refunds or offer support until you turn this off, which will delete any 3P apps.