So when can we expect a choice in iPhone carriers on this side of the pond? Alas, it's not that simple a matter. Besides any lingering contractual issues--while there are rumors , there's never been any official word on just how long AT&T and Apple are joined at the hip, iPhone-wise--there's a technological hurdle as well. Verizon--the company most often bandied about as the Gallant to AT&T's Goofus--currently relies on CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) technology for its network; the iPhone is currently based on GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) technology. True, Apple could come out with a CDMA model of the iPhone, but with Verizon looking ahead to Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology for its network, it seems unlikely that Apple would go through the trouble. Adding Verizon as a carrier once LTE is rolled out seems like a more likely scenario, but that won't happen until 2010 at the earliest.

The bottom line: The iPhone may be broadening its reach in other markets, such as the UK, but in this country at least, AT&T looks to be Apple's only partner for some time to come.