• by Mark Walsh  @markfwal, June 10, 2010

There was speculation Apple CEO Steve Jobs might indicate when the long-rumored Verizon iPhone would finally become a reality. There was no such announcement, but pressure for Apple to end its exclusive relationship with AT&T for the iPhone and iPad will only increase in the wake of the disclosure of a security hole in the carrier's Web site that exposed 114,000 email addresses of thousands of iPad users.

AT&T's well-documented problems providing reliable service for iPhone had already made the carrier the butt of jokes on "Late Night With David Letterman." The security blunder, broken on gossip blog Gawker no less, will only give Letterman and everyone else fresh fodder for bashing AT&T and pressing for Apple to open up its devices to other wireless operators.

The latest rumor, via All Things D blogger John Paczkowski, is that the next carrier to offer the iPhone won't be Verizon, but T-Mobile. He cites a new report from Kaufman Bros. analyst Shaw Wu suggesting that the fewer technical hurdles of partnering with T-Mobile than Verizon or Sprint would make T-Mobile a more likely candidate. At the same time, T-Mobile only has about one-third of Verizon's 93 million wireless customers.

The bottom line is that consumers, especially existing iPhone and iPad users, won't necessarily quibble as long as they have a choice other than AT&T for powering the devices. Why Apple, which has built its reputation on selling user-friendly consumer technology, has stuck with AT&T exclusively for this long isn't clear. Many hoped it might end with the launch of the iPad.

But the AT&T security flaw that led to the uncovering of iPad users' email addresses and ensuing embarrassment could provide the impetus that finally pushes Apple to find a new wireless partner.