We’ve just come across some interesting comments on Catalyst Code in a column in The Manila Times. The author, a management consultant named Rey Elbo, says, “If you don’t think the Code would be helpful then you are, no offense meant, probably a man (or a woman) who is due to retire in two years.” A little strong perhaps, but it is hard (for us) to quarrel with him.

Apple’s been noticed too, with the recent unlocking of the iPhone generating a ton of interest. There has been lots of debate about the value of an unlocked iPhone here and abroad but only a few mentions of the unusual nature of the mobile business model in the US. If you buy a wireline phone, you can carry it with you and plug it in anywhere, regardless of the carrier that provides the wire. Similarly, if you buy a mobile phone in Europe, you are not tied to any particular carrier. Yet in the US, all major carriers only sell phones that can only work on their networks. They sell them at a discount and then get back that discount through long-term usage contracts that are tied to the phones. Suppose all phones had to be sold unlocked, perhaps because these ties were declared illegal. Phones would be more expensive, but calling and data services would almost certainly be cheaper. You might see Nokia and Samsung operating retail outlets instead of Verizon and T-Mobile, with the Nokia person giving you a choice of carriers and handling the hook-up process for you. With the power of the carriers reduced, phone makers might be able to solve the hard chicken-and-egg problem that prevents us from using our mobile phones as payment devices, something Japanese consumers have been able to do for some time now. What do you think?