Just to Clarify

 Only iPhone pic I have :-)

I've noticed that my blog so far (yes it's only 2 posts, but still...) makes it seem like I am an Apple hater.  I'm really not!  I don't hate Apple as a company on the whole, I just hate some of the decisions they make.  I love that they took what the cell phone was, and turned it into something completely new and exciting.  They started a revolution, and there is now some excellent competition in the smartphone market going on, which is a win for everyone in my book.  The company has some good ideas, I'm just not convinced that they explore every option before they say yay or nay to some things.  I mean the iPad running iPhone OS?  That's not the greatest decision ever made, it was an easy one though.  That way they didn't have to create anything new and groundbreaking, which is a smart decision, just not one that made tons of people very happy.  The iPad in itself is a great idea, I just wish there was more reason to want to own one.  It really should be something "magical", not more of the same, just on a bigger screen.  I just wanted to make my position clear, I am not against the technology that Apple has brought us, I just don't see them as holy and wonderful either.  They make a good, solid product, and like everything ever made, they can always get better.  Open Source would be good too  :-)

NBC and Time Warner tell Apple "No Thanks"

"...several large media companies, including Time Warner and NBC Universal, told Apple they won't retool their extensive video libraries to accommodate the iPad, arguing that such a reformatting would be expensive and not worth it because Flash dominates the Web."

Score 1 for Flash :-) These two media giants refusing to cater to Apple's controlling ways means they will continue to use Flash for all their video needs. This means that the TV shows and videos published by NBC and Time Warner will not be accessible on the iPad. Poor Apple, just when they thought they had it in the bag! The article, published by the New York Post, goes on the state that media companies are growing more resistant to Apple thanks the a slew of new devices on the way from Dell and HP that will likely include an ACTUAL full web browsing experience (meaning Flash included). Also that Apple should be keeping an eye on the newly announced Google TV, which will let users stream free video content to their HDTVs.

Source:  New York Post

First Post - The Apple Conundrum

Alright here's the deal. Apple is a control freak. They know it, but they keep trying to make excuses up. Now, I first off want to say that I'm not trying to bash the iPhone or iPod Touch themselves, I think they're great devices that have huge potential. The iPhone changed many perceptions about what a cell phone could be, and it does a great job at most things that it advertises it can do (even if it's a little late to the game on some things, *cough cough cut and paste cough*). I want to bash Apple as a company because I swear, and Steve Jobs is the most popular example here, the company is run by a bunch of 5 year olds who don't want anyone else to play with their toys. I mean let's explore the main topic of debate between Apple and everyone else. Flash. Yeah I'm bringing Flash up. Adobe has come out and said on numerous occasions that they would love to have their mobile version (10.1) coded to work on the iPhone as well as every other major smartphone OS on the market right now. Well Apple said that was all well and good but they needed to see proof of concept first, i.e. a smoothly working example. Well look no further Apple, Adobe has their latest version of the beta bundled with the newest release of Android OS version 2.2 (Froyo). Not only does it integrate fully with the on-board web-browser Google provides, it runs smooth as butter. Seriously. Looks like a desktop running it. That's not good enough for Apple though, no they've invented new reasons why they won't allow Adobe's great product to be introduced into iPhone OS. Their first main reason is because they say that HTML5 is the future of the internet, and Flash is just a poorly coded prerequisite.

"New open standards created in the mobile era, such as HTML5, will win on mobile devices (and PCs too)."

I'm not going to say that HTML5 is not the future of the web, but let's all admit, we have a LONG way to go before we get there. RIGHT NOW Flash is a major part of the browsing experience, and to not see that Apple must just be ignorant. The second main reason they say is

"While Adobe's Flash products are widely available, this does not mean they are open, since they are controlled entirely by Adobe and available only from Adobe. By almost any definition, Flash is a closed system."

My first reaction to this statement was "Hypocritical much there Stevie?" Who dictates what can go on your baby iPhone? Yeah that's what I thought. Apple does. Any and every app has to be approved by Apple before it gets submitted to the App Store. Seems like a very closed system Apple… Adobe allows anyone who has the software to create Flash applications, including games, so while it's not exactly open source, it's quite a bit more open than Apple… So let me now make my main point. Apple will refuse to allow Flash on the iPhone as long as Adobe is the one who controls it. If they let owners put Flash on their babies, Apple could no longer control what applications, videos, and games people used/played on them. That's what this is all about. Steve Jobs knows it too. Apple refuses to let go. That's why, as long as I have the choice, I will opt for anything open source over anything with that little Apple on the back. That way I know for sure I can do whatever I please with the device that I've paid so much money to own. I'm looking at you Android :-)

Source for Steve Jobs/Apple quotes:  Apple