Netgear CEO: Don't Sugarcoat It

Tweet

Wow! I know it's only Monday, but this week's "too much red meat" award goes to Patrick Lo, CEO of Netgear, who ripped into Apple (specifically Steve Jobs) at a breakfast in Australia today.

I don't think you need my help with context, so I'll just pass on some of the juicier quotes.

On Apple's closed eco-system for the iPhone, iPad and iPod:

"Ultimately a closed system just can't go that far ... If they continue to close it and let Android continue to creep up then it's pretty difficult as I see it."

"Steve Jobs wants to suffocate the distribution so even though he doesn't own the content he could basically demand a ransom,"

Lo went on to compare Apple's closed platform versus the likes of Android's open platform to the old Sony Betamax Vs. VHS platform. And for those of us over age 35, we know how that turned out.

On Steve Jobs' medical leave, and that closed platform:

"Once Steve Jobs goes away, which is probably not far away, then Apple will have to make a strategic decision on whether to open up the platform."

(Now that's just cold, Patrick! "Goes away"? Give your PR department a raise right now. They are going to earn it softening up this one.)

On Steve Jobs' snubbing of Adobe Flash

"What's the reason for him to trash Flash? There's no reason other than ego,"

On attempts to talk to Steve Jobs personally about his concerns:

 "Steve Jobs doesn't give me a minute!"

(I wonder why!)

Anything nice to say at all, Patrick?

Lo did say Netgear has seen an uptick in sales for its WiFi network booster product lines thanks to Apple. He says iPad owners are scooping them up to extend their WiFi signals to the, ahem, bathroom.

I'd like to see the CommScore survey results on that one.

By the way, it wasn't all about Apple.

On Microsoft and Windows Phone 7: 

 "Microsoft is over - game over - from my point of view."

Renee Oricchio is a technology writer and former supervising news producer for CNN Financial News. She has been covering the computer industry since 1987. @oricchio