Linked by Kroc Camen on Sat 29th May 2010 20:41 UTC
I've been meaning to write this for some time, and for all the time I delayed the more poignant the point I wanted to make started to become as new news came out further solidifying my angle. When I begun writing this article the iPad had not yet been revealed, iPhone OS 4 was not on the map and Apple had not yet purchased Lala. You've probably just noticed that all of these events in fact point toward Apple embracing the web more and in this article I will point out why this is not the case because I believe Apple's agenda here is similar to something we've already seen in recent history.
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Member since:2005-11-10
Good to see you NS! Welcome to OSnews 
Actually, if anything you have hit upon a thread that was not covered in the article, but I do essentially agree with you. Yes, Apple is absolutely concerned about user experience. It is the single reason why the iPad has succeeded where all others have previously failed. Only Apple seems to get this, and as a designer who can see this fact blatantly whilst others around me wail about how the iPad lacks X, Y & Z.
When it comes to the web, Apple don’t understand the aesthetics. The web is messy, and it’s supposed to be. Thinks like GMail are tasteless to Apple. Bad looking and non-native, but yet GMail is a million times better than MobileMe.
A completely cross-platform web with native capabilities threatens to crap all over Apple’s aesthetic and they won’t stand for that. It is for that reason that I believe Safari will begin to veto web features in order to maintain the Apple aesthetic. Not least that when users have spent $100s on their app catalogue they won’t want to upgrade to anything other than an iPhone for fear of losing it all, and Google and the web completely threaten that lock in.
OS X is the best desktop OS IMO, and the iPhone OS and all that drama does not change that fact. However, I’m most concerned that Steve Jobs has moved on. I hang out for hope for WWDC and an announcement for 10.7.
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2010-06-01
Hey Kroc, it's David.
I sort of agree, but sort of disagree. While I find this analysis extremely interesting, I think (and hope) you may be misunderstanding or overlooking the reasoning behind some the fundamental decisions that close Apple's systems. In specific, the omission of Flash and adoption of HTML5.
True, any company would want a closed system that earns money. And it's also true that Apple and Microsoft have been able to do just that. But for what it's worth, I feel like that's where the similarities end. My thought is the underlying reasons for keeping the Apple systems closed are based, at least mostly, on user experience: "Does this product give users a good experience?"
Technicalities aside, if my understanding of the logic behind Apple's decisions on Flash and HTML5 are correct, it would most likely change your opinion significantly. I daresay that you may even recant your statements about Safari entirely if Apple is sincerely focused on providing a good experience over simply making money. Of course, I hope this is the case, and I'm sure you do too.
Take what we've already seen as an example: IE entered a new market with little competition and Microsoft already had a majority of computer users running Windows when IE was at 99% deployment. Mozilla earned their users through an up-hill battle using FREE technology. Apple has earned their users through services and products that are more expensive than Microsoft's. I think the bottom line is that the majority have spoken.
I understand that many people don't agree with this point, but the real test will be in the coming years: Will Safari keep up with Firefox? Will Apple allow highly-functioning web features from Google? Will a healthy and competitive market continue to exist?
As someone who switched to a Mac to find that Apple took pretty good care of me, I'd like to believe that I'm right. Hey, I may be entirely wrong. We'll see!