Cannot install apps directly; no error msgs; AppleID okay

Question

Yesterday, in the middle of upgrading an app on my iOS 7.1.1, I tried to install another app and it prompted me to enter my AppleID password. From that time selecting any app from the App Store on my device would SILENTLY not do anything, ie. Click on FREE --> Click on INSTALL --> after a few moment the icon would revert to FREE, ie. No error messages, nothing, ziltch, nada !!
I then spent hours not finding any exact same problem on numerous forums, but found a similar problem, albeit with Apple actually bothering to give an error message, on this blog:
[LINK#1]
http://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/102935/cant-install-apps-from-app-store -on-iphone-with-ios-7
What disgusted me all the way through my search was the IDIOTIC advice that Apple was consistently giving users with similar problems – they had them upgrading to the latest iOS (what a waste of time, as when you happily have a stable platform, you have to deal with a whole new set of things not working – theoretically could be okay, but Apple have consistently proven they ****-up every iOS release), and then fully resetting their device and wiping out all their settings (doesn’t seem to bother Apple to waste their customers time).
After successfully fixing the problem, you realise when reading the other blogs that Apple knows what the problem is, but due to their obsession with a sealed user-de-enabled environment, they don’t want to provide access to the tools (why not? You’d think by iOS 7 they could have by now integrated soft recovery tools safely in the OS), but would rather make users corrupt their devices by dancing them in circles rather than admit what the problem is, and that 3rd party tools can fix.
The solution? This linked blog indicates Apple get a corruption in their SQLite database that manages downloads. I installed macroplant.com’s iExplorer (I have no affiliation) and voila! renamed the offending file, and after a sluggish 30 minutes (where is was likely rebuilding the file), I could then install apps  again on my device. NOTE: no upgrading to later buggy iOS version, and no resetting my device and wiping out all my good work.
[LINK#2]
http://www.blog.gleff.com/2012/03/app-store-unable-to-purchase-fix/
[LINK#3]
http://www.macroplant.com/iexplorer/
SYMPTON:
Cannot install apps directly on Apple iPhone / iPad / iPod with no error messages.  User AppleID and other settings are correct and confirmed.
RESOLUTION:
Used 3rd party tool (get it and install it now before they remove the free DEMO mode) – macroplant.com – “iExplorer”
QUESTION:
If Apple insist on having a closed / sealed user environment, why (given how many iOS iterations they have gone through) haven’t they included the tools in the iOS to fix database corruptions without dancing users through timewasting upgrades and wiping out their settings, when this won’t fix the problem?

Answer 1

By god, it works!!!!!!!       Thanks Tim
Now this would not be a permanent solution - disabling zonealarm everytime I want to sync. What is the perrmanent solution?