You can compile and run your own software on the device. You can jailbreak it to get the same results. You also have access to the entire internet which should

You can compile and run your own software on the device. You can jailbreak it to get the same results. You also have access to the entire internet which should allow you to do nearly any kind of development you want to do and use the browser in your phone as a UI the same as any other computer. The only part of their ecosystem that has major restrictions is the App store. Which kind of makes sense as that's one of the few ways in which someone other than Apple could completely trash their platform and make alot of Apple's customers unhappy. I'm not saying your "anti-freedom" point is completely invalid, but it's really not a major concern for most tech-savvy people, IMO.