why not? At&T's exclusive agreement is up this summer. Apple I'm sure would like to explore other options.

In a note to investors this week analyst Doug Reid of Thomas Weisel Partners said that despite persistent rumours that Verizon will receive the iPhone in 2010 when AT&T’s exclusive agreement runs out he believes that T-Mobile will instead be the chosen carrier.

Reid’s thoughts come off analysing the carriers different advertising campaigns, “AT&T advertising in the United States has in recent weeks clearly shifted away from iPhone as the carrier likely readies itself to lose exclusivity in the United States (to T-Mobile and not to VZ, we believe) while VZ ads promoting Droid and other anti-iPhone devices appear to have intensified markedly”.

Rumours earlier in 2009 suggested that AT&T was looking to extend its exc...
(continues)

Apple's (AAPL) iPhone has been the biggest feather in the cap of U.S. partner AT&T (T), which has recruited millions of new wireless customers every quarter just based on the iPhone handset alone. Without it, AT&T could have slipped far behind larger rival Verizon Wireless in the last few years. In part due to the iPhone's incredible success, Verizon Wireless had to buy rival Alltel earlier this year just to keep up (and surpass) AT&T's wireless subscriber numbers. But what would happen if the iPhone went to another wireless carrier?


The rumor for over a year is that Verizon, kicking itself over not partnering with Apple for iPhone exclusivity back at the start of 2007, really wanted a version of the iPhone to sell itself once AT&T's ex...
(continues)

why wont apple just tell us who is getting it?

These negotiations take lots of time. Any announcements before the ink dries on contracts could spawn lawsuits if something goes wrong. From what I can see AT&T is confident of having iPhone exclusively through the holidays at least.