I completely agree, most users do not have concerns about their phone being closed-source.

Nevertheless, the following aspects *do* matter and explain why the N9 woud potentially succeed in the market:
- Attractive design and UX: sexy colors, clean/elegant/innovative UI
- Good range of applications (Elop's argumentation): default applications cover much uses, portofolio can potentially grow very fast thanks to the excellent Qt-based SDK (providing the platform receives a real commitment...)
- User pride (more important that marketing): in that area, the new Meego-OS clearly beats Microsoft, which tends to have a very bad image

Even if the N9 is coming late, it has a lot of potential and performs very well in all the areas which make the difference, making it a solid Iphone rival.

That's why Nokia's decision is frustrating. Of course, this forum is mostly about a geak perspective. But from a market perspective, it is frustrating because a very promising product may disappear, probably because of political reasons.