I always pictured a black panther http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_panther which isn't the same as a Puma.

It's Jon St. John, not John St. John.

I once signed up for a license to distribute the Acrobat Reader on a CD-ROM my organization was using as a give-away, and I had to agree not to let the program end up in places like Cuba. Now, in the same week I learn about Russian spies being arrested and swapped with the USA, I hear that Microsoft is giving out the source code to Windows 7 to the Russian spy agency. Wow.

Kind of like Fight Club

Police Officer: You said that if anyone ever interferes with Project Mayhem, even you, we gotta get his balls.

Do you have any idea how much it costs to pave a road? ;)

Slightly more seriously, there is a lot of benefit you can derive from those around you (that do use government services) not being pushed to the brink of poverty and desperation.

"Sure you're free to take this phone to another carrier, just don't circumvent the DRM to do it"

I think the Great Lake Swimmers were on to this a long time ago with their song See You On the Moon.

The difference is consumers think they understand the benefit of those features. They're still seeking a benefit, whether they have it right nor not. Android is doing great, but as "the phone to beat" I think iPhone is still at the top of the heap in popular opinion.

Just because phone tech specs aren't a person's field of expertise, doesn't mean they shouldn't be helped to understand why they should care about something. There are plenty of things you don't understand the technical details about, but that doesn't mean someone shouldn't try to put it in terms you understand before expecting you to make an informed decision.

When you hear "over 300ppi" you understand the benefit without having it put into more simple terms. Why not give someone, who might enjoy the product as much (or more) than you, the same chance to understand what they're buying without doing hours of research?

Specs might speak to the slashdot crowd, but I think Apple owes a lot of its success to a realizing that most consumers buy benefits, not features. The endless list of would-be iPod/iPhone killers that touted better features but failed to have an impact in the market are evidence of this.