> I have a lot of trouble buying the argument that any significant number of iPhone owners expected to be able to run any third-party software they want to.

While I agree with the overwhelming majority of your reply, I'd suggest that the significant majority of iPhone owners expect to be able to run "any third-party software they want" because they expect substantially any third-party software they would want to be available in the App Store. Removing Epic is violating that implicit understanding.