Yanks look like idiots to me, because they generally don't seem to factor the lock-in to a specific carrier to the price. In my country you can't offer phones and plans as a bundle, and therefore the pricing of the phones is very different.
For example: Europe might have better access to internet, however I'm not a fan of their policies, so I can choose to pay a bit more for internet in Canada, and deal with the lock-in.
It's silly to consider someone an idiot based off a single trade-off that they make. (Considering them an idiot based on many trade-offs is a different story)
edit: clarifying the subject trade-off
Planning to use this as a smart remote controller for my media box, as a Bluetooth robot controller, and I might do Skype and what not. It's possible I'd eventually activate it though for emergencies and get rid of my land line which costs more given the little I use it.
The phone is locked to one provider for at least a year. The US has DMCA which means unlocking goes in and out of legality. I think it's currently not allowed.