It's not like the App Store review process is particularly trustworthy either. There have been plenty of stories here and elsewhere of that.
Almost no app developers had your best interests at heart
Neither does Apple nor the developers of apps in the App Store. In fact, given the fees, they have even less incentive to avoid greed.
Just because the app store is closed it doesn't mean it's not full of crapware?
All the "games" are IAP fests. Every time you search for some big name app you get the app (if available) and a bunch of results that are named so deceptively that you're afraid to click on them.
Every week there's another story about a flashlight app that charges a 50/month or 9.99/week subscription.
So tell me how Apple's app curation helps?
> If that risk seems remote now
Maybe to you? I haven't looked at iOS games since the days of the iPad 1, when Apple hadn't pushed all game devs into IAPs yet.
And the few apps I bought, they were mentioned on forums not connected to Apple. And as you said yourself, there's always the chance the app gets sold and the terms change, and the walled garden won't help a single bit.
What about Android, which lets you sideload apps? How many people do you know that sideload apps or have installed a malicious app from outside the Play Store?
Yes, the App Store was and is important, but you need to look at other platforms if you really think that Apple allowing app sideloading (proper sideloading, not that shit they're doing in the EU) is going to take us back to the days of browser toolbars. iOS is not Windows XP.