This goes both ways - when Apple produces a phone, they own it and they're also free to load whatever software they want onto it. They then enter into voluntary transactions with others, in which the ownership of the phone is transferred along with the right to load whatever software is desired.
If you can't figure out how to load your desired software onto an iPhone, don't buy one. But it's certainly not Apples problem at that point since, as you said, they no longer have a right to any say in how that device is used, and thus also give up any responsibilities you seem to desire.
Apple is actively preventing competition for app stores on the iPhone. And in other countries they’ve already lost the battle.
Walmart is actively preventing competition for grocery stores inside Walmarts.
Not everything is a monopoly and not everything needs to be totally competitive....