Is it Apple taking advantage of some ultra-secret libraries or code or algorithms to get better programs out? I don't think so. So how is Apple unfair? That they work harder to deliver a great application is just the result of what they have at stake (increase their user base).

There are cases where I do agree Apple has been unfair like stepping on Karelia, specially since Sherlock is not "critical" at all or that much of an improvement over "Watson".

On theother hand...
Internet Explorer on the Mac has been an embarrassment for Apple, termed as the slowest of all browsers on any platform. What has been lost here then?

Keynote and Powerpoint? The jury is out on this one. I for one favor keynote but many people already have Office and Powerpoint gets the job done.

About FCP and Premiere? Who can blame Adobe.. or Apple. Final Cut pro has allways had a cult following. Besides, version 4 is so much better than anything out there.

For good or bad there seems to be a deeper strategy in play here as Apple's own retail store and the Itunes Music Store show. They feel that both Application development and retailing hasn't been fair to Apple's hardware and that it can be done much better than it has been done in the past and I for one think they are right.

Is this type of relationship with third-party partners bad in the long run? I am not sure, but I know somebody can help here with ideas about what path Apple should be taking instead.

Take care...