There seem to be two motivations attributed to apple for lack of support: users would be confused and unjustifiably lash out at apple for a bad experience, and apple does this to strong-arm the rest of the industry.
The first reason shows that apple has an incredibly condescending attitude towards it's customers, and a comically excessive fear of criticism.
The second one shows that apple is a market bully who somehow knew they'd succeed spectacularly with the iPad, and they wanted to use their power to crush their loathsome flash enemy.
Neither of these sounds terribly convincing to me. In the end, as someone who wants to get the most out of his investment, I'll go with the tablet maker that meets my needs. I need flash. It sucks. But, there is nothing I can do about it. If apple is still playing it's silly games next time I am purchasing a tablet, I don't plan on sacrificing my experience and hard earned money to support them. I imagine other consumers will reach a similar conclusion.
It's too bad, because there is lots to love about apple. But, their quirks (not the potential of the iPad and os) get tiring. I use the iPad all of the time now, but I can envision a flashy future without it.