Let me start by saying, I’ve been a loyal Mac user since before it was hip… using it for design, web dev, etc. I was content paying more for a product I felt was superior, and was truly steeped in the culture of all things Mac. Innovative ideas, by free thinking people, the opposite of the Microsoft camp. When all that innovation paid off and Apple started emerging as the biggest brand on the planet, I thought “good for them, the good guy finally wins”… That sentiment is quickly fading.

When the iPhone came out and it was only on one carrier (not mine), I suffered through not being able to sync my phone to my Mac, blaming the phone manufacturer. I’d owned and loved an iPod for some time, so I figured I wasn’t missing out on much. Then, I realized Apple had done the unthinkable, they started kicking their biggest, most loyal, fan base right in the a$$. Designers who had been using their products for years were now facing the realization that a large part of their skill arsenal would no longer be useable for any content they wanted viewable by an iPhone, and now iPad. That’s right my friends, Adobe Flash! Initially there were reports from the Apple camp claiming it was clunky, used too much CPU power and killed battery life. Did they think no one would investigate these allegations and just nod in cult-like fashion? Bottom line is there was no slow down in performance or battery life with Flash. The real reason Apple is killing Flash for its internet ready devices is to PROTECT THEIR REVENUE STREAM! What? Where did the free thinking, choose as you please California love children go? They went straight to Corporate America, where independent thinking is sacrificed for the bottom line.

If Apple were to allow Flash a fair shake, you could go play free online games instead of buying them from the App store, and you could watch shows on Hulu instead of buying them in iTunes… all of which Apple gets a solid 30%. IMO that’s pretty short-sighted on Apple’s part, inhibiting development and holding back their loyal customers. Not to mention, pulling from the pocket books of some of its most loyal base, the designers. What about the folks, like me, who are considering buying their first non-Apple technology and looking at Android tablets? What part of your revenue stream will we account for? I’m fine with you being successful and that capital funding great new innovations, but there is nothing innovative about blacklisting technology because it MIGHT affect a very small part of your revenue stream. Is the damage to your brand and its perception among your long time loyals not more important? Go back to hacky sack lunch breaks or whatever the hell it was you were doing before corporate life killed the spirit that made Apple cool, not just trendy.

Before all you PC coders writing HTML5 and Cocoa chime in remember, I’m doing the the unthinkable here, I’m going against his holiness Steve Jobs. In all honesty, I hate to admit it, but I’ll still keep using my Mac. I will, however, begin to look in other areas of technology moving forward… something I never though I’d need to do.

If you’d like to check out some development initiatives that actually ARE innovative, click here to see Adobe’s Open Screen Project. This project will attempt to give users a rich media experience across any device, anywhere (although probably not an Apple device). This is the future my friends: seamless integration of computer, TV, phone, chat. I hope Apple can get on board before they get left behind by companies like Google, who may have an agenda of feeding you every bit of content on the internet, but are smart enough to make that a reality.