@Big Bear
"The big loser is the consumer, as we have already seen with the lock-in a la iPhone/O2"...
No, the consumer did not "lose" from the iPhone lock-in: in fact the consumer gained quite a bit in the UK especially. When the iPhone 1.0 was introduced, it only ran on EDGE networks, which did not exist in the UK and most of the rest of the world that uses GSM. To deploy the iPhone 1.0, O2 had to build out an entire new set of network radios and switches from scratch, across the entire UK - all for the use of ONE phone model.
Imagine if O2, Voda, and T-Mobile had ALL built their own EDGE networks, and then spent the money certifying the iPhone on their systems (very time consuming, btw). What do you think the ACTUAL price of an iPhone would be to the consumer if all three had undergone the same expenses? A lot higher than it was with just one of them doing it...
Even then, with the massive cost of a new network for one model handset, is it unreasonable for O2 to expect some period of exclusivity to offset their investment? Remember, when they did this, there was NO firm expectation as to just how wildly successful the iPhone would be - not even the industry watchers predicted just how fast and how far Apple penetrated the market from a standing start. But the network had to be paid for if the iPhone was or was not successful, and so O2 took the risk, and has profited from it - and made the iPhone available in the UK as a result.
So now, for the consumer - are O2's network tariffs THAT uncompetitive with T-Mobile, Voda, and Three? Don't seem to be as far as I can tell...slightly higher in some plans, but they also offer the best coverage model especially outside the M25. (the best comparision is of course Voda's RIM Storm on a similar contract - like for like with unlimited data for the Storm)
So the consumer can get a subsidized phone, on a competitive tariff, on a network that took a risk to bring that phone to the UK, and port their existing number from any other mobile operator to keep it. So Mr. Bear, please, detail how this is a loss for the consumer...
And frankly, the market for NETBOOKS, which rely upon the high-speed transfer of wireless data for a lot of their functionality (not having optical drives, everything tends to get downloaded on 3G or WiFi) will probably evolve just the same way...