Access to gaming is not critical to participation in a modern economy. Whereas a phone gives you access to banking, government services, medical services, emergency services, education, information, news, wayfinding(GPS), shopping (especially if you live somewhere remote) are just some examples of things people do with their phones. And that's not just some people, like 80-90% of all people.
Are any of those things impossible without sideloading or the DMA? Those things will only be riskier on your phone with all the malware that will undoubtedly spread throughout fully open marketplaces. I really do not want my mom accidentally installing her "Chase Bank" app from www.chazebank.cc.
The post I responded to was asking why Nintendo (and similar) shouldn't face the same regulation. Despite you point being mostly off topic I'll humour you.
Since what's possible or impossible is the only options you've given me, Is it "impossible" for your mom to just do all her banking in person or over the phone? The phone works perfectly fine.
See how that sounds?
Anyways, having a central gatekeeper to all those essential services is not optimal from an economic or technical perspective. (Again, notice I said "not optimal" even though you created the false alternative of "not impossible").
Your concerns about malware are valid. Or at least as much as they are valid on MacOS. Which is to say - somewhat, but not enough in the balance of things.
And yes, I have elderly parents too. I plan to continue educating them.
those things are all made prohibitively difficult without a smartphone. there are people in the US getting kicked off their insurance plans for not having a required smartphone. this isn't some goddamn game here, peoples lives and livelihoods are on the line and you're wondering if it might not be such a big deal clearly never having put more than a moment's thought into it.
And your malware claims are total BS There's been alternative stores on Android for years and the malware situation remains stable to slightly improving thanks to hardening of the OS that Google did resulting from the goal of supporting multiple stores. Far more people in the world use Android and bank on it than iOS so the idea that the sky will fall if Apple opens up is pure ridiculousness, utter silliness.
You are trying to start fights all over this post and I'm not sure why, but please don't put words in my mouth. At no point did I even remotely suggest that people shouldn't have access to smartphones.
It's not the same.