Netgear chairman and CEO Patrick Lo reportedly slammed Apple CEO Steve Jobs for his business practices on Sunday, and said Apple would have to change its closed system to compete in the future.

Speaking at a lunch in Sydney, Australia, Lo reportedly said Apple would have to open its platform so it could compete with Google Android in the mobile space, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

"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," said Lo.

The statement was directed at Jobs' decision to take a medical leave from Apple to focus on his health. There is no indication at this point that Jobs will not return to Apple.

Lo also criticized Jobs' ego, which he said led to the public trashing of Flash. "What's the reason for him to trash Flash There's no reason other than ego," Lo said.

In an open letter posted last year, Jobs detailed the reasons he didn't feel Flash was the right technology for the iPhone and iPad. He talked about reliability, security and performance, as well as issues related to battery life and other technological issues that would negatively affect the iOS devices.