Spoken like someone who has never really used an Apple product.
Wow. You think government-granted patents and government-mandated monopolies are the epitome of unregulated capitalism, and in the same breath call *other* people stupid.
I am one of the people who refuses to pay for DRM, or an exorbitant price (more than the physical version) for a virtual item, etc. You are wrong about them being simply "justifications." When a service appears that meets my expectations, I use it, regardless of the free options, because it is more convenient and provides more value. allofmp3.com was an example of this. The prices were reasonable (and directly linked to the cost of providing service) and the content was provided in many formats, leaving me free to choose.
Of course, instead of learning from allofmp3's model, the RIAA just threw money at lawyers and lobbyists to try to shut it down.
Using t-mobile without an unofficial unlock is exactly what I'd like to do. It's ridiculous that I can own something outright (I purchased my iPhone used) and still be refused an official unlock.
I'm still putting up with it because I like the device, but I should not have to.
Perhaps you already have seen this, but if not:
http://levine.sscnet.ucla.edu/general/intellectual/againstfinal.htm
I've recently started reading it, and it's been enlightening so far.
I think one of the biggest problems I see in user reviews boils down to stupidity. Sometimes I see reviewers describing problems that are obviously user error. Often, however, it is difficult to tell whether the reviewer is dumb or has raised a legitimate issue with the product.
It's for this reason that I think user reviews are best taken in aggregate. If even a sizeable minority of people love the product, I think it's probably decent.
Re:
That is exactly the point the article makes.