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One of the big surprises to come out of Wednesday\u2019s iPad unveiling<\/a> was news that the 3G version of the device will, at least initially, only be available with AT&T (T) in the US. <\/p>\nThat was an announcement few were expecting. In the weeks leading up to the event, it was widely believed that Apple\u2019s (AAPL) tablet device, if it was going to support mobile broadband, would support it on Verizon\u2019s network and that the announcement of that carrier deal would herald the arrival of the oft-pined for Verizon (VZ) iPhone<\/a>.<\/p>\n Didn\u2019t happen. And now folks are pondering just what this might mean for Apple\u2019s carrier relationships in the states. As I\u2019ve noted here before, it\u2019s an inevitability that the iPhone will eventually cease to be an AT&T exclusive<\/a> and that will certainly be true of the tablet as well. <\/p>\n But perhaps not quite as soon as expected. AT&T\u2019s iPad exclusive suggests that Apple\u2019s relationship with the carrier is still quite strong. You\u2019ll recall that when Apple reported earnings earlier this week, COO Tim Cook leapt to AT&T\u2019s defense when asked about the carrier\u2019s network issues<\/a>. AT&T\u2019s iPad exclusive would seem to lend further credence to Cook’s remarks that Apple has been happy with the company as a carrier partner and is confident of its plans to vastly improve its network<\/a>.<\/p>\n As Bernstein analyst Toni Sacconaghi observed in a note to clients Thursday, \u201cWe note that Apple’s tone towards AT&T has shifted since last June when Apple took some verbal swipes at Apple during its WWDC presentation<\/a>; COO Tim Cook was complimentary of AT&T on Apple’s recent earnings call, and appeared less committed about having multiple carriers in every country. We worry that this more amicable stance towards AT&T and the lack of a CDMA iPad could suggest that a deal with Verizon on the iPhone is still be negotiated and potentially is further away than some investors might hope.\u201d<\/p>\n Perhaps. Though it may only be as far away as the completion of Verizon\u2019s Long Term Evolution (LTE) 4G network. Why bother building a CDMA iPad and iPhone for Verizon now? Wouldn\u2019t it be easier to wait for the roll-out of the far superior LTE network, which reportedly isn\u2019t all that far off?<\/p>\n Buy This Item: [Click here to buy this item]<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n