Apple iPhone exclusive to AT&T until 2012

Those of you waiting for a Verizon iPhone will need to wait past 2010. That's when the exclusivity arrangement between AT&T and Apple will end. So, all those rumors about the Verizon iPhone are simply dead rumors now. Here comes the twist (according to Engadget):

an ongoing California class-action lawsuit filed in 2007 claims that Apple and AT&T illegally exerted a monopoly over iPhone service by telling customers the iPhone's required service contract was two years long when the Apple / AT&T exclusivity deal was actually for five years -- thus requiring buyers to re-up with AT&T for three years (and not, say, T-Mobile) if they wanted to keep using the iPhone.

So, what's going to happen? I don't think anyone on Verizon will see a CDMA iPhone. Maybe when the iPhone 4G comes out, mobile phones will be compatible across all the major networks. Maybe the differences between GSM vs. CDMA will disappear. Maybe users will somehow "hack" the upcoming iPhones so that they can work on the Verizon network. Maybe...

If you're on Verizon, go with Android. Or, switch to AT&T if you really want the iPhone.