I think they were little too focused on the US market. Here (in Costa Rica) almost everyone I know with a smartphone has a N1. There is a monopoly carrier here

I think they were little too focused on the US market. Here (in Costa Rica) almost everyone I know with a smartphone has a N1. There is a monopoly carrier here and no phone+service package, so N1 makes perfect sense - just plug the chip in and go - no unlocking or rooting required. I bet there are a lot of other international markets where the N1 would do just as well.