Love the iPhone but Hate AT&T?
Do you love your iPhone but despise the spotty problems that come with AT&T's service? Well, you may have to wait awhile longer. As we discussed previously, the FTC complaint that Adobe filed against Apple in regards to its alleged anti-competitive practices forced Apple to admit in a pleading that the original exclusivity agreement with AT&T was for five years; lasting until 2012.
Now, many caveats apply. Foremost is that these agreements are frequently re-negotiated, and it's quite possible that is the case here. Industry experts are speculating that the deal was probably re-negotiated since the iPad comes with a below market rate data plan with AT&T. That's tough news for companies like Verizon (the mobile carrier with the highest customer satisfaction ratings) who has been itching to get into the iPhone service provider game.
So where does that leave us? We will most likely find out more at the World Wide Developers Conference starting June 7 where Apple has unveiled previous iPhone incarnations. Stay tuned.
