Temper Tantrum

So I'll skip the rebuttals of anti-iPad talking points to discuss a blog post by Lee Brimelow, Platform Evangelist for Adobe, that discusses Apple's decision to prevent apps from being created in iPhone 4.0 via any non-Apple-approved development language. This decision strikes to the heart of some features in Adobe CS5 that allow developers to build iPhone OS apps via Adobe AIR without having to use Objective-C.

In the post he totally goes off on Apple with an abundance of eloquent hyperbole and ultimately tells Apple to "Go screw yourself...".

Professional. Great way representin'.

I sympathize with Brimelow's position as Apple just cut Adobe's legs out from under them. Based on the reaction, I'm sure Adobe saw a way to get in on the action to allow AIR developers to participate in the growth of the platform, and had put a lot of resources in this endeavor.

Despite stating a few times that his opinions are his own and not of Adobe's, you can't talk about Apple's decision in that light and in that manner and not have your opinion be a reflection of the company you work for....ESPECIALLY if your blog states what your position is within Adobe. Even with that disclaimer, if you talk about this specific subject matter you ARE ultimately speaking for your company.

Ultimately Apple does want complete control over it's platform which is the complete antithesis of how Adobe, née Macromedia, née Allaire, works. Adobe works in a lot of open platforms...they tell everyone about what they're working on via their Adobe Labs.

Apple operates in the opposite manner. Its projects are closely guarded secrets that make the public speculate and salivate. Right now it's playing in a very competitive consumer space with huge growth potential, and with that, huge potential to be knocked off it's mountain perch.

Now it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me why Apple would limit its developer base, and Lee Brimelow's assertion that Apple is "tyrannical" is just inserting drama into a business decision. Yeah, they're just doing it to kill Adobe -- a maker of the #1 graphics editor software in the world on any platform. And for what purpose? Brimelow's reaction and hypothesis is superficial at best, a tantrum, with no sound business conclusioning behind it.

And then, he decided to disable comments on the blog posting. Basically a hit-and-run posting, not wanting to entertain opinions from Adobe-philes or Apple fanboys. So if he's not speaking for Adobe, why would he fear Apple's reaction? He's only playing the part of a blogger, and his opinions are his own, not of Adobe's.

Speaking purely for myself, the move was probably smart, but reeks of chicken sh!t.

Brimelow would be better expending resources getting the Flash Player stable on OS X. Oh yeah, I forgot, that's a different issue.

Anyway, there was a more level-headed response, official response from Adobe.

Kevin Lynch, CTO of Adobe, merely shrugged off Apple's move, which may or may not change over time. Seeing the decision in the big picture, it's not that big of a deal. Apple is probably shooting itself in the foot by not wanting developers to flock over to a development platform that may be easier to work with. As the platform evangelist for Flash, Flex, and AIR, Brimelow's reaction was not unexpected.