Why Verizon Rejected the iPhone

Most realize Verizon had the first shot at the iPhone and many have been scratching their heads (Why didn't Verizon take it?) since the January Macworld iPhone announcement. The Register has an interesting post here. The piece quotes Verizon Communications president and chief operating officer Denny Strigl as follows:

"The iPhone product is something we are happy we aren't the first to market with."

It looks like the deal killers for Verizon were Apple's demands for call revenue sharing, the control of distribution channels and also customer service. The Register also quotes another Verizon vice president, Jim Gerace:

"We said no. We have nothing bad to say about the Apple iPhone. We just couldn't reach
a deal that was mutually beneficial."

According the The Register - Cingular claims this deal was cut two years ago when the iPhone was just a mock-up.

I'm going to stick my neck out and predict an announcement soon by Microsoft and Verizon......