The title is misleading on a technicality though - Android will continue to deploy applications via APKs. Developers will have to upload apps as AppBundles, which the Play Store service will repackage, resign and deliver to the devices as a set of APKs.
Which means: the devices will continue to be able to install APKs. The major massive difference is that the apps will now be signed by Google on servers and not by developers on their local machines.
I'm wondering why Google doesn't allow developers to build the optimizes APKs still - the Android build system does have that capability. Noone really used it, but it's there - there should be a way to opt out of signing key sharing.
Which means: the devices will continue to be able to install APKs. The major massive difference is that the apps will now be signed by Google on servers and not by developers on their local machines.
I'm wondering why Google doesn't allow developers to build the optimizes APKs still - the Android build system does have that capability. Noone really used it, but it's there - there should be a way to opt out of signing key sharing.