Excellent conversation! But some perspective...

Apple invented the Mac, the iPod/iTunes and the iPhone which are hit products. Like any other company, they've produced some misses, too.

Just like you would feel if you invented something amazing and wanted the maximum revenue from it, we need to remember that this is Apple's product, they spent the money inventing, developing and marketing it, and they can do whatever they please to present it in whatever way they see fit.

Apple is unique in its own way. By controlling both the hardware and the software, the Mac, iPod, and the iPhone are superior experiences, less prone to the degenerative effects of the free-for-all that other more open systems experience, e.g. PC, Treo, Windows Mobile, etc

The Mac is over a quarter-century old and it still shines. The iPhone is not even a year old, and the SDK is now a week old.

Be patient. This is Apple's product, not ours. They are letting us in on a piece of the action and/or a piece of the glory. Take it easy. If the genie gets out of the bottle you'll never get it back in. Better safe than sorry.

It's amazing how much hubris some people have. This is Apple's product, not ours. Did I mention this is Apple's product?

Remember the early days of the Mac or the iPod? They seem so primitive compared to now, but things took time. Quality products that [continue to] stand out from the rest take patience and consideration. First we had only web apps, then we had a restrictive beta SDK, and then we had... And in the end, there was a great product with long legs that, still, no one else could touch.

Thanks for listening.
Mark