As a mobile device manufacturer, Apple is in demand. AT&T made unprecedented concessions to get the rights to the iPhone, and carriers in Europe are said to be agreeing to similar deals. If a carrier wants to serve the iPhone, they'll have to come forward on their hands and knees and agree to Apple's terms.

Granted, Apple has never played well with others, but why invests billions in buying the spectrum, and billions more in building the infrastructure to serve it, and what could be even more billions of dollars in the ineviteble growing pains and rollout issues when you have the entire industry on a leash? Emptying the reserves to be come a service provider when one is getting sweetheart deals as a device provider is a risky idea to say the least.

What may make more sense for Apple would be to let someone else, say, Google pony up the cash for the spectrum and then strike an exclusive deal. G-Phone talk aside, Apple would be a logical choice. Despite how badly Google wants to push its various hardware and software projects, the company still draws virtually all of its income from ad revenue.

It would seem to be a perfect match: Apple provides the killer app, Google provides the backbone, reporters guaranteed a steady flow of stories for the next five years.