The things that have changed aren't strictly upgrades or downgrades. Apple's approval process is much quicker than it was in 2009, but instead of sitting on a bug fix for four weeks, now they reject you with no explanation while 20 other apps doing the same thing Apple is angry about make millions on the store.
>They get away with maltreating developers, in the short term, because they make such great hardware. I just bought a new 27" iMac a couple days ago. It's fabulous. The screen's too shiny, and the disk is surprisingly loud, but it's so beautiful that you can't make yourself care.
I feel the exact same way with the 13" iPad Pro I bought last year. Amazing hardware, but it feels like computing in a straitjacket. Even jailbreaking it only goes so far to fix the underlying problem, which is that playing by Apple's rules is a genuine roadblock to a lot of pro app developers who are accustomed to selling direct-to-consumer.
However, I don't think Apple actually cares. The iPad Pro exists for exactly one kind of customer, and one kind of customer only: professional artists. As far as they're concerned, people who want proper developer tools, the full Adobe or Autodesk suites, or what have you can just give up the touchscreen and cellular modem and buy a Mac.
>With Apple that seems less the case. When you look at the famous 1984 ad now, it's easier to imagine Apple as the dictator on the screen than the woman with the hammer.
...Did Paul Graham consult with Tim Sweeney on #FreeFortnite?
[0] Also, the submission title should probably have a (2009) in it...