If you need to infantilize your relatives because they cannot be trusted with their devices, then MDM them, or even have that be the default. But we do not need to surrender in the war on general purpose computing for it.
Many of us cannot afford the luxury of working overtime as tech support for relatives. I personally do not even think I can do a good enough job at that for myself, in fact—I would have to be a professional information security researcher.
Furthermore, I am sure if there is enough misplaced outrage, MDM will be unable to restrict this.
> But we do not need to surrender in the war on general purpose computing for it.
Where is that war? General purpose computing is everywhere, with all of its associated benefits and liabilities[0].
iOS has more or less been the only island where it is reliably not an option, that making it preferred for the reasons I mention.
[0] How many of us literally airgap machines that run unvetted code (at least once you realize that all vitalization and containerization is circumventable), not letting any personal data on them? How feasible is that with a phone, and by an average person that is not exactly infosec-savvy but who is obligated to have a phone to simply get on with daily life?
I don't agree with the hyperbole of the person you're replying to. But I also don't think the possibility of fair competition is mutually excusive with the security of the vulnerable few.
That's assuming that something like an opt-in lockdown mode is compatible with the DMA.
Apple's schtick was "It just works." that's what people like and want. They don't want to have to go thru and make choices, dig thru settings, install other app stores, explain to meemaw that the nice man cold-calling her telling her to install this special app isn't actually from the IRS coming to arrest her, etc...
They just want it to work.
https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/security.png needs a companion for people like you who infantalize seniors (if they're 80, they were using Windows 7 at work before they retired) and make up hacker scenarios that would never happen to seniors to defend an indefensible position that is "I stan Apple, or possibly all multi-trillion dollar mega-corporations with walled gardens, because hacking is for losers and I'm here on a hacking forum to let everyone know that."