If Google had tried to make an iPhone style ecosystem, all evidence is clear that they would have utterly failed, like almost every other consumer device that Google has tried to promote, and we would have had at least a few more iOS competitors (maybe Windows would have lived? Maybe Samsung would have finished Tizen?). The reason Android succeeded was precisely because it was open and available to multiple OEMs. But that also opens Google up more to anti-competitive scrutiny.
Google could have licensed Android to OEMs, not allowed 3rd party app stores, made 3rd party app installation functionally infeasible (need to reinstall every week), and forbidden other web browsers.
I appreciate that Android did not go down this route because I don't believe any of these choices would have caused Android to fail.
