None of that explains why the owner of an Apple device can't install alternative app stores, nor the bundling of their own app store.

Apple never claimed to be an open ecosystem that allowed users to install anything they liked without interference.

Actually, from 2007 (first iPhone) to 2008 (the App Store), they kind of did.

	▲	GeekyBear 16 minutes ago \| parent \| next [-]
		Apple made it perfectly clear that iDevices would be a walled garden when they released the SDK for third party applications.
	▲	happyopossum an hour ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		That’s retconning at its best - there was no support for 3rd party apps then, just websites.