It has a lot to do with your post if you're juxtaposing app stores against consumer freedom. There's certainly going to be an alternative to an app store if you can modify your device.
Hack the planet. Free Kevin!
No no no. When I mentioned "consumer freedom", I meant the freedom to purchase and download software from anywhere on the internet. The restrictions of app stores like iTunes and Windows Marketplace are more of a burden for consumers, since they act like a middle man for people who want to download software. Get rid of the middle man, let consumers choose what they want to download, and where they want to download it from.
Apple and Microsoft are forcing people to download stuff through their app stores. If mobile devices were given less restrictions, I'm sure many people would be happy. I know about Android, but that's an exception to the rule.
Isn't the internet supposed to be "free" (no restrictions)?