According to documents released from a California class action lawsuit, it has been confirmed that AT&T has iPhone exclusivity until the year 2012. While this was the initial agreement reached between Apple and the company back in 2007 when the first iPhone launched, there has been no word on whether the terms were ever renegotiated. This means a couple of things, including 1.) Apple and AT&T may or may not have revisited the contract, leaving the 2012 data to stand, and 2.) we most likely won’t be seeing that Verizon iPhone we were hoping for this summer.
Either way, it’s nice to have a ballpark date to keep in the back of the mind for now. While optimistic thinking would say that three of the two years are basically over, there is also the pessimistic side reminding us we are still stuck with AT&T for now. Maybe we’ll see more news about this deal when the next iPhone comes out, and maybe we won’t. At the end of the day, we are still waiting.
Via [Engadget]
Doh =(
Looks like I am heading to Verizon if thi sis true. I can not handle at&t service any longer.
AT&T works great for me so the length of exclusivity is not important to me. Even better if it had anything to do with the iPad 3G no contact access deal. $30 a month for true unlimited data on the iPad suits me just fine.
Probably one of the best kept tech-secret yet, however to think that for all these years potential consumers/costumers have been lead on… it somehow makes me wonder if that is a smart business practice?
If the iPhone no-shows on verizon all way till 2012 Apple will lose my loyalty.