Sunday, October 6

Instapundit mentions this piece by STEVEN DEN BESTE about cell phones:
Though the adoption of a continent-wide standard for Europe in the 1990's did have certain benefits, it also had some hidden prices. It gave them compatibility, but it was also protectionism, and as is always the case with industries shielded by protectionism, the European cell phone companies became arrogant and complacent, and as a result they fell badly behind.
I've got to admit, all the crowing about the superiority of the government's guiding hand had me doubting my religion, but as he shows, it was ultimately counter-productive. Even though he mentions the Economist, they don't emphasize this aspect much.

Update
It seems the complexities of the technologies make Steven Den Beste's argument quite controversial.

No comments: