Not that I disagree, but the argument against this is often: consumers are idiots. Most people have no idea about the finer details of "problems" like this one

Not that I disagree, but the argument against this is often: consumers are idiots. Most people have no idea about the finer details of "problems" like this one and so will completely ignore it when making their purchase. If the iPhone meets all their needs but does secret voodoo to carriers on the back end, consumers are losing -- sometimes long after they've voted with their dollar. Hence: regulators.