Have you ever wanted to buy a  product, only to find out that you can’t have it because some company you’re not a customer with has exclusive rights to it? This is a problem I’ve encountered more than once in the technology world over the years.

Examples include:

• iTunes can only be played on iPods. This is a somewhat old issue that’s been remedied by a program that can convert files to a format compatible with other mp3 players.
• iPhones are only available for AT&T customers. (I realize that this isn’t the only case among cell phone companies.) I’ve been with Verizon for around eight years. My entire family has Verizon, which means we can talk to each other anytime without burning up minutes. I can’t afford to leave them. Literally.
• Certain ebooks are only available on Kindle. I have a nook. It took me a while to pick which eReader I was going to buy, and I chose the nook because of some of the capabilities it has that aren’t offered on the Kindle. But now I’m finding that with some books, I have to go hardcopy because the e-version isn’t available through Barnes & Noble.

You may think I’m just a sore loser because I have a knack for picking the “wrong” technology, but I have a valid complaint that goes beyond my own plight. When products aren’t available to all consumers because of territory lines, the ones who lose are the consumers. I can’t have the phone I like best because my service provider can’t carry it. Or from another perspective, maybe I can’t have the service provider I like best because they don’t have the phone I want.

This problem may not directly be related to social media, but I’m going to put my opinion out there anyway. Business should be about consumers. That’s what social media’s teaching us. Listen to what people want. Give it to them and you’ll be rewarded with customers.

Cell phones, eReaders, mp3 players, etc.—all of them should be compatible with the products or services of all relevant companies. This allows me to choose which product I like best and which service provider I like best. It also gives businesses a better idea of where they’re getting it right and where they’re not.

What do you think? Am I just bitter or do you agree with me?

Photo by AMagill