The native runtime environment for iOS is significantly more powerful/capable (i.e. less controlled/limited) than a browser sandbox. It would be pointless to have local apps if it wasn't more capable.

That doesn't mean it isn't a sandboxed compared to more traditional computing environments - it just means it's less restrictive than a browser.

Anyway, Apple is conflating the concept of AppStore with ContentFilter. There's no reason why you can't have either one of them, or both from different vendors. Let them provide the bare hardware, and there will be a flourishing market of OS providers, some of which perhaps even more secure than Apple's software offerings.

> Let them provide the bare hardware, and there will be a flourishing market of OS providers,

Why are people so obsessed with "forcing" Apple to adopt the same approach that gave us the dumpster tire fire that is Windows?

If you don't want a device where the hardware and software were designed to work together, just buy from one of the literal thousands of other vendors who took your approach.