[VictorHo]

From dictionary.com:

hy·poc·ri·sy   [hi-pok-ruh-see] –noun,plural-sies.

1. a pretense of having a virtuous character, moral or religious beliefs or principles, etc., that one does not really possess.

2. a pretense of having some desirable or publicly approved attitude.

3. an act or instance of hypocrisy.

I don't see how the author misuses the word "hypocrisy" at all. It appears to me that his case relates to #2 above - Jobs pretends to hold an attitude promoting open standards etc. when that is not the real motivation behind his actions at all.

[KirinDave]

That sort of presupposes a tone of sanctimony that I really don't get from the letter. I don't think Apple is trying to argue they're doing some kind of overall good, they've written a letter about how Flash conflicts with their strategic vision for their platform.

What specific parts do you think suggest feigned virtue? The parts where he claims to want a better environment for developers? That's the only place where I think you might have a toehold.

It must sort of suck to be Apple community relations right now. If you act according to your business plan, you get railed at for being imperious and arbitrary. If you then explain that business plan and your rationale, people immediately see it's not all nobility and grace and get pissed. The brand perception and loyalty that Apple has spent so much time building can certainly be a double-edged sword.

[nosnih]

What many people seem to be missing or ignoring is that he is primarily talking about Flash content on websites.

Jobs said all standards pertaining to the web should be open, not all software. He admits that they have proprietary systems for native apps.

Apple believes that browsing the web should not require a proprietary plugin. I don't see any hypocrisy in that.