It would be really nice if it was possible to get an anti-Adobe viewpoint from someone other than an Apple fanboy, and an anti-Apple viewpoint from someone other than an Adobe fanboy. As it stands, most people who have any vested interest in this argument are heavily committed to one side or the other for their livelihood. That tends makes honest debate unlikely.
First, full disclosure. I've paid my dues to get an iPhone OS developer license, and I'm actively writing and releasing apps for these devices.
However, I don't think the focus should be on the fact that Apple says you have to write your code in a specific language. The focus should be on the mechanism by which they can enforce that; their monopolistic App Store. The fact that the only way to get applications onto the device is to pay Apple's fee seems highly suspect to me. I understand the desire to keep a level of quality control on the code that's executing on these machines, and in principle I applaud it. The way they've gone about it is horrible, though.
People have had years now to recognize that the hardware and underlying OS are sound. I think it's time to just open the flood gates, and let developers release whatever code they want. Customers will quickly learn which companies produce good software that doesn't destabilize or crash their device, and which companies write nothing but garbage that causes their shiny little slab of magic to become a shiny little slab of useless components.
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it." - Bert Lantz