03 August 2008

The Freedom of Choice
Customers Deserve the Right to Choose

We've seen what can happen when consumer lose the ability to choose.

When Nokia chose to support only one carrier's 3G network, with its latest American smartphones, it forced T-Mobile users to switch networks to the higher costing rival, at&t, right when T-Mobile was set to begin offering 3G in a larger area.

Then at&t chose to warn users after signing long contracts they'd be cancelled if caught using any of the available peer to peer applications on it's network. They basically crippled users devices by threat! If T-MobileUSA was also supported, users could've had an alternative to at&t rough policies.

When Apple signed exclusivity deals with at&t to sell its iPhone, it opened the door for at&t to charge iPhone users higher rates for unlimited data packages. Had the iPhone been available at multiple carriers, data package prices probably would've been lower and much more competitive.

In the latest evidence of users lacking choice, Apple's App Store has possibly been influenced by its American retail partner, at&t, as well. In a move rumored to be related to it's recent warnings to users about account cancellations for significantly increasing network traffic, Andrew Orlowski of the the Register reports that Apple has pulled a much desired and useful application from it's App Store.

Nullriver Inc., a Canadian software developer group, listed an application called NetShare, enabling users to tether their mobiles to their PC to use as a modem. This function is built into most real smartphones, so it shouldn't have been an issue, and yet just hours after appearing in the App Store, Apple unexplicably removed it. After an outcry from users, and insistence by Nullriver they'd adhered to all of Apple's developer guidelines, it's since been relisted, though there's no guarantee at&t won't cancel users for trying it.

This is an abuse of power, in my opinion. Had users had other options for buying software for their iPhones, they could circumvent Apple's and at&t's control. This shows me what I've been preaching all along; choice only benefits consumers, and less choice only invites consumer abuse. Keep this in mind next time you buy that expensive uberdevice, or sign that big megacarrier's contract