Does Apple really think iPad users too stupid to program?

As many of us know, years ago, in what has been described by some as a “stroke of genius,” Apple created a programming tool “for the rest of us.” It of course was Hypercard. No one thought Hypercard could or would build the next SuperPaint or MacWrite, but it provided an excellent solution for those who wanted more control and didn’t want to have to become a hard core programmer. It was the right tool for the job for many of us.

While perhaps not a monetary home run, Hypercard did change the world for lots of users. And, it helped Apple differentiate itself from other, harder to use and program systems.

Fast forward to 2010 and a new Apple platform, the iPhone/iPad. Why is this concept of the right tool no longer a good idea? Are there no more “inventive users” out there? Does no one want to create a simple app, which does a single thing, without having to learn Objective C? Take RevMobile for instance. Its a Hypercard like tool for iPhone/iPad and was recently outlawed by Apple. It may not create the next Layers, Brushes or other Photoshop iPhone/iPad clone, but certainly it provides the ability to create some simple apps which fill individual needs. For many, it’s the right tool.

Now, I suppose I can sort of understand the notion we don’t need a tool like RevMobile or Hypercard for creating cell phone apps. But, we’re not talking about cell phone apps. We’re talking about an entirely different, new and exciting platform OS running on a tablet, perhaps the most personal of computer ever designed. And because it’s so personal, folks who are not hardcore programmers will want to create their own solutions and quickly. A perfect fit for RevMobile. One would think a person with Steve Job’s history and vision would understand all of this. Evidently not.

Certainly such an authoring tool has a place in this new generation of tablet OS’es– sadly it may not be on Apple’s iPad.

Posted via email from Shafer Walters Group