[lkosewsk]

A VM in a puny chip is the price one pays for a developer audience, to build a thriving ecosystem of apps so that consumers will want to buy the device.

Too bad Apple didn't pay that price, because otherwise, they might have had consumers and a thriving... oh, wait...

[teyc]

Apple already had a toolchain and developers before iPod Touch arrived. It made sense for them.

A newcomer with no audience does not have too many choices. The world simply has more developers who program to JVM or CLR.