This is an AT&T issue, not an Apple issue, but Apple could choose to pressure AT&T into allowing tethering, which it should do, to keep US customers who need tethering support from deciding to use other device/carrier combinations that support tethering.
But by changing the rules they allow for the iPhone to become just another smartphone. That coupled with being on a single carrier isn't going to do much for their future.
I wouldn't expect the single carrier situation in the US to go on indefinitely.
This is already changing in other countries, and I would expect the US to be next. If not in 2010, then probably very likely by 2011.
One problem killing the iPhone, is that most of the iPhone's weaknesses are one policy change away from disappearing.
Interesting point. Yes, they do have a lot of additional features that they could add with not much more than a policy change. Seems like a good position to be in, for Apple that is.
That being said, they really should fix the lack of Flash support. Adobe now appears to be openly pointing out that this lack of support is entirely due to Apple policy limitations.
Keep the number of passes in a compiler to a minimum. -- D. Gries
