AT&T to Unlock Off-Contract iPhones

I always wondered where the 'no unlock' policy came from, I assume it was Apple that insisted on it simply because Apple has always claimed to be 'special' and that its products are 'different' and thus the normal rules don't apply. But I don't know for sure, that's an assumption on my part.

But, now that the 'no unlock' policy has been reversed, that means almost all the restrictive policies where the iPhone is treated as 'special' or 'different' from any other phone has now been reversed. That can't be what Apple wants....they want to be regarded as 'exclusive' but they can't be 'exclusive' if all the policies are the same as for any other phone.