Some country was thinking about declaring Internet Access a human right. I think computing should come before that.
The scale of any company should invite extra scrutiny from the state. Apple is at a scale where it has massive societal impact, it's not the burger joint down the road.
It would be trivial for Apple to add a toggle allowing users to switch from 'walled garden' mode to something more permissive.
On macOS you can install any software, or from identified developers or from the App Store and I don't see macOS users screaming they can't manage without their walled garden.
Why wouldn't iOS allow any installs from identified developers or from anywhere?