Since then, the Apple-branded handset seems to have become the "one that got away" for Verizon. The iPhone's gone on to be a blockbuster seller, meaning not only plenty of profits for Apple, but enough for AT&T as well. The wireless provider said , many of whom were apparently converts from other networks. It's been said that the iPhone may be a substantial factor in keeping AT&T's wireless business in the black, given its lately shrinking profits.

That's certainly a tantalizing target for Verizon, but what does Apple get out of the deal? Having once been spurned by the company, why would the iPhone maker go back to them now? Simple: because it's good business. Despite AT&T and Verizon duking it out for the title of the nation's best network, Verizon's remains widely perceived as more robust with wider coverage, while many AT&T customers complain loudly of dropped calls and poor coverage. If AT&T's the chink in Apple's armor, then it's no surprise that Apple wants to patch it up with stronger stuff. Who better than the nation's self-proclaimed "largest 3G network" to fill the gap?

Of course, matters are complicated by the exclusive deal that AT&T and Apple have supposedly struck, which takes the two companies through 2010 or 2012--accounts vary. It's possible the terms of that deal have changed--recent stories have --but it also lends credence to a recent story, , that Apple's shopping other devices to Verizon. Presumably those devices wouldn't be subject to the same exclusivity arrangement.

There're also challenges on the technology front, as Apple COO Tim Cook pointed out in the company's , when he effectively declared the death of CDMA, Verizon's wireless protocol of choice. However, as Verizon is planning to transition to the GSM-compatible LTE standard for its next-generation network, those hurdles will be moot within the next few years.

With all that amassed evidence, the question, then, is not "why Verizon?" but rather "why Verizon?" So it seems like the stars may finally have aligned for Verizon and Apple to live out their happy ending together.