I would say most “techies” these days are privy to subscribing to RSS feeds using their favorite aggregator of choice (read: Google Reader).

Therefore it is impossible to miss the outright flood of Apple/iPad/iPhone OS/etc/etc/etc news that continuously pours in from every single feed I subscribe to. It’s to the point that it is just effing ridiculous and it’s totally out of hand. I simply do not understand why everyone cares so much about Apple products and why they get the media attention that they do.  I’m definitely not alone in this, as some media outlets actually offer an “Apple Free” feed option.

Let’s just run down this all star tech item called the iPad:  With the starting price of $500, you get an AMAZING 16 GB of storage, you get no USB ports, no media card slots, no camera, overpriced apps, no flash support, and proven Wi-Fi issues.  I see nothing to tell me that it’s not just a gigantic iPod.

Any other netbook or tablet device will give you more functionality for your money.  Call me crazy, but I think a built in camera is simply an absolute must for any netbook or tablet device…  But, people won’t line up for hours on end to buy a netbook or tablet with a camera.   The “Apple hardware is better” argument doesn’t fly with me here, especially given the early Wi-Fi issues the iPad is experiencing.  I know a lot of people that have owned various netbooks for various lengths of time and have never heard of any of them having any hardware issues.  At some point, all hardware devices could and will have issues on some scale, and they will do so at random times…  Apple is not in a special boat; and in fact they lag behind more then half of their competition.

Yet, with all this in mind the iPad still owns the news across the board, and it just makes no sense to me whatsoever.  Somehow, Apple has managed to be one of the most closed/communist companies on the planet and still manage to get the majority of people to eat candy right out of their hands.  “Oh, the iPad doesn’t support flash… That’s ok… Every major company will just re-design an iPad specific homepages to function on this awesome device!!”  Seriously???  How and why is that even a possible scenario?  Apple should be conforming to existing standards (even if flash sucks).  In no possible universe should the internet be forced re-tool and comply with a device.  It’s asinine, plain and simple.

Just imagine the backlash if Microsoft’s Internet explorer or Mozilla’s Firefox did not support flash.  I would wager that the browser would be in ruins instantly.  Keep the thought going – just imagine if Microsoft had to pre-approve ANY application that you installed on a Windows 7 netbook, tablet, or Windows mobile phone…  Nobody on the Earth would stand for that level of censorship from the evil empire of Microsoft, yet when Apple does it, everyone just seems to accept it willingly.  There have been numerous documented cases of fair and usable apps that Apple rejects or pulls with varying degrees of vague reasoning, and it really pisses me off that they can get away with that.  I give props to the hackers and modders that give the world the option to jailbreak their Apple products, freeing them to install the apps they want.

In the end, all I can really do is hope that some day soon Apple’s antics will catch up with them and they’ll ride their wave of undeserved success right back down to ground level…

Unfortunately though I don’t think it will be anytime soon – The media flocks to Apple once again today while they announce and show off the iPhone/iPod OS 4.0.  Wow, an effing software update…  One that you’ll probably have to pay for no less.  Microsoft, please hold a massive media event when Windows 7 SP1 comes out!!  Or, better yet… at your next patch Tuesday even.  Oh, wait – nobody would go to THAT.

In summary: Get bent, Apple.  You continue to charge too much for your products while your earnings seem to reach record highs.  I consider it literally no different from $4/gallon gas prices while ExxonMobil reported record breaking earnings (except for the fact that the public got angry when that happened.. Oddly).  You gouge your faithful fan-base of their hard earned money on the premise that you’re simply better than everyone else.  The majority of media and public seems to think you are as well…  But, I promise you, you’re not.