The microphone, camera, etc. approvals are all the result of exploits that permitted malware to gain control of those devices for nefarious purposes, mostly on non-Apple devices, but Apple added these permission out of an abundance of caution. The same reason Apple is requiring App Store developers to reveal what and when they phone home and permit users to limit what they reveal. Annoying in the short term, but could be a genuine benefit in the long term.
