Steve Jobs is a Coward

This high minded technology leader is out to protect the masses from inferior and clumsy technology (Steve Job's post on Flash). Baloney. He is looking to control our computing world which is exactly what he fought against in the early days of Apple. "A Computer for the Rest of Us." Crap. Allow me to explain.

Today I was playing with my new iPad and kept running into videos that don't play. I am also invested in a Business Intelligence company that makes extensive use of Java.  As the world already knows Flash and Java applications are not supported on the iPhone and the iPad. Here are two technology innovations that currently have no competition. Interesting that Steve, who is clearly trying to protect us, has not pulled support for these technologies from Apple's line of computers.

You know why Apple still supports these inferior technologies on their computer platforms? Because there is competition. If he pulls them from Apple's computers than we might be upset enough to start voting with our wallets. We, I, would actually abandon Apple computer products and move back to the "PC" platform. Horrible you say. I bet you are aghast at this computer infidel for speaking such heresy. (FYI. I have been an Apple user for over 30 years. I actually owned a piece of junk called the Apple III and everything since then.)

Somebody has to tell this friend (Steve Jobs) turned nutcase that he needs to respect that there are standards in place and he does not and will not own them all. He needs to return to his roots and respect the software products that have "won" the tech war to-date and not take a stand at my expense. I didn't vote him into this position he is using his bully pulpit at my expense. I think he should now be called a "Dictator." Apple has become the object of its own infamous 1984 ad. (Compare this ad to Steve's last set of announcements. Look at the audience. Seems eerily familiar to the audience in the 1984 ad.)

But in the end he is a wimp. Steve Jobs is a coward. If he is going to take a stand to protect us from these inferior technologies then stop supporting them on Apple's computer line where there is competition. Go ahead Steve. I dare you. You won't do it because you have no grit. You have no balls. You have no principles. For you it has become all about money and power. You sold out. 

Apple has great products and Steve Jobs is the inspiration behind all of them. But now he wants world domination though software control. Is Apple now the "computer for the rest of us" or the "computer Steve believes is best for us."

Come on Google Android. Come on Microsoft Windows 7. Put this nutcase in his place.

Comments

[Andy Borgmann]

I like this article a lot. Although I remember a conversation with you in the late 90s about how Apple was going to fail and I needed to stop using Macs :)

I have had the same debate going in my head for some time. I used to support Mac stronger than just about anyone I know, but now I have essentially switch an all Mac office into an almost all PC office (we only have one Mac left). I like that Mac is built on Unix, but at this point, that is about all it has going for it in my mind.

The LARGER debate I have in my head right now about this ironically is not with computers, but with phones. I can't for the life of me decide between the iPhone 4 and the Sprint Evo to replace my 2.5 year old iPhone 1st Generation. Many of my reasons of going with the Evo are similar to what you expressed here, but there is something about the iPhone I just can't step away from for some reason.

Great comparison to the 1984 commercial and the WWDC conference. Great! I didn't see that until your mentioned it, but you are right on.

[Gregg Hinthorn]

I think the real question is, “Why is Steve doing this?”

Of coures, we can’t know but Steve has left a few hints frwom which one can draw conclusions.

Apple has a history of being a early adopter and pusher of technologies. Granted not all have been successful. 

For instance, firewire is a standard the’ve pushed that has never been fully embraced by the rest of the PC industry. Apple clung ridiculously to the buttonless mouse and have only now made a decent mouse (Magic Mouse) with virtual buttons. (The Mighty Mouse was crap.)

The “why” I believe is because the iPad is a significant step in moving the computer from device to appliance. 

Intermediaries like Flash and Java limit of Apple’s control. The reason for the control? (And this is what I wished you would have tackled, instead of assuming it was done by a capricious Steve Jobs.) 

For widespread adoption this Internet appliance must virtually never crash. So by definition Flash and Java wont work in a world of internet appliances. 

The iTunes stores place a critical role in moving from device to appliance. More importantly the much maligned “app review process”. This process makes sure the apps all play nice. In the appliance world there’s much less concern over privacy and security, two biggies for most people, because of the app review process.

Wired Magazine Prefer’s Chooses iPad Over the Internet

Chris Anderson, Wired’s Editor and author “The Long Tail” and more recently “Free” a very good free audio book on iTunes) has bragged about how they are already making more content available in their paper and iPad versions than they put on the web. The for the iPad info? First issue sales of Wired’s iPad edition sold almost the same number as their newsstand, around 80,000. That’s the first issue! 

I’ll make prediction. In less than a decade (probably more like five years) the computer and Internet as we know it will become something akin to ham radio and CB radios. Great for certain niches. Certain businesses. But for most people in their homes, an Internet appliance like the iPad will be cheapest, easiest to use, most versatile, and thus most popular home appliance of choice.