That is part of my concern...
Apple did more good for AT&T than AT&T did for Apple - that is, Apple succeeded with the iPhone in SPITE of AT&T, not because of them.
Droid struggled for a couple of years until they came to Verizon - and that tipped the scales *and* gave Apple their first real competition (and incentive to finally break exclusivity and come to Verizon, and then Sprint).
There is allegedly a schism between Verizon and Microsoft lingering because of the Microsoft Kin debacle. If Microsoft can't get a strong WP7 presence in Verizon - I don't know that Windows Phone has enough cachet to be successful with AT&T as their primary carrier.
To be honest - I'd be an iPhone user today if Apple had gotten the iPhone to Verizon sooner. They waited, and there was no way I would go to AT&T. Because they waited, Android arrived first, and I switched. By the time they did get there, it was too late - I was bought into the Android platform. Windows Phone is behind the curve already, and now is getting saddled with that same AT&T/No Verizon liability. It is a bad situation that I think Microsoft needs to correct quickly. AT&T is a no-go for millions of potential consumers - and Verizon is the alternative for almost all of them. They've already got an uphill battle, and being Verizon-crippled only makes it a tougher climb.
