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If you’re a fan of logic, as I am, then the term causality will certainly be familiar to you. It’s the end-all yardstick of relatedness, so as logical constructs go it’s a pretty powerful concept. If I smile, it might be because I’ve just seen something funny. But since you could take away the source of my amusement, and plenty of other smile-inducing stimuli are still out there, the relationship between the aforementioned humor and my smile is not causal. On the flip side, true causality would mean that the result always follows the cause, and never occurs without it.

Apple Computer seems to be learning (we hope) a thing or two about how openness relates to causality. They’re not big fans of openness. In fact, their business model is tied fast to choking off openness at every opportunity. Most music purchased through iTunes is not open – it’s full of DRM that restricts how customers can use it. New iPod players are not open – they’re (unsuccessfully) locked using code intended to prevent management of the owner’s music collection with any software other than Apple’s iTunes. I won’t even start on OS X, Safari or Aperture – though there’s plenty to say.

Now, it seems one of Apple’s business models – keeping their much-beloved iPhone locked in to specific cell providers (a-la their exclusive agreement with AT&T in the US) is causing them some heartburn overseas. Evidently, while the American sheeple are happy to drink Apple’s kool-aid here in the US, folks over in Europe actually want unlocked phones. They’re demanding choice – the choice of which mobile provider to use with their iPhone.

Evidently, it’s not working out all that well for Apple. The networks they’ve contracted with are getting tired of the Cupertino Gang’s tactics, and they want to give their customers what they truly deserve: an open (a.k.a. unlocked) phone and the freedom to take their business where they see fit. Nonetheless, Apple is clinging to its model of closedness, demanding exorbitant prices for unlocked phones (even then only after being forced to by the courts) and restricting choice wherever possible.

Which brings us back to causality. It’s one thing for me to claim that openness relieves a whole lot of pressure points, both for businesses and customers. It’s one thing to claim that open systems are more reliable, more secure and more flexible. It’s one thing for me to claim that freedom and choice make me a happier consumer. But unless all those things go away when openness leaves the equation, I haven’t established a causal link.

Fortunately, Apple seems to be doing most of the heavy lifting for me in that department! (Microsoft can help too, if they want to bring their malware-ridden, blue-screen-laden, decidedly not-open products to the table!)