The problem that I have with this comment (and many of the stories like the one linked) is the simple fact that, although this is obviously a blatant attempt to

The problem that I have with this comment (and many of the stories like the one linked) is the simple fact that, although this is obviously a blatant attempt to re-write history via corporate PR (something that Google does just as often as any huge company), it really is true (in an overall sense-- Google certainly is attempting to avoid a future where the iPhone is dominant. Whether or not you think that's "draconian"... well, really, stop right there. How many HN posts are there about various App Store debacles? Censorship? If it isn't "draconian", it is certainly less than "free"). Google is doing something to challenge Apple here, and they are doing it in all the right ways. I have a Droid, and a good friend has an iPhone. There are times when I really wish I had his phone instead of my Droid, but there are also a lot of times he wished he had an Android device. Like it or not, Apple has competition, and that's forcing them to innovate rather than letting developers do it for them via the App store. Tethering, built in MiFi-like capability-- these are things that Apple's good friends in the App store can't do for them, and Google is right to go after them. Likewise, although it is very likely I'll try to turn off/disable Flash support if my Droid is ever updated to 2.2 (or if I ever root it and go with Cyanogen, etc), it is a weakness of the iPhone, iPad, and going after Apple where it will actually hurt is more than fair game. Again, I don't think giving Google a pass here (or worshipping at their temple) is a good idea per se. But I do think that a lot of the criticisms leveled at Google for this comment have less to do with Google's real sin-- PR manipulation-- and more to do with the fact that a great deal of Apple supporters are a bit chagrined that Google is doing so well against the iPhone. Just look at Gruber. I mean, I love the guy-- read his site every day, as I think it is some of the best Apple analysis out there-- but as Google I/O has gone on, his normally cogent commentary has degenerated into what basically amounts to one-line (or one-paragraph) sniping over Google's attempts to challenge Apple. As if Apple somehow has the right to complete 100% dominance of the consumer smartphone market. Again, like Google or not, I think its hard to argue that Android isn't a serious challenger to the iPhone (and soon the iPad, if Android-lovers have their way). And its hard to argue that this is ultimately good for consumers-- certainly much, much better than an Apple-run world where political satire is banned from our phones simply because it might ruffle a few feathers or distract from Steve Job's vision of the "perfect" App Store.