Verizon was "never in the running" for original iPhone

Verizon-revision-ist history is plain for all to see, just go to the above AppleInsider link and read 2007 Wired.com. Verizon is on record for crowing about turning down iphone first dibs.
CEO: Who you gonna believe, me or your lying eyes?

It's amazing how many people b**ch and moan about how horrible AT&T is and how they wish someone else, aka, Verizon, would get the iPhone to end their horrid life with AT&T. Now that Verizon is on board, People are bitching and moaning about Verizon not having the same "data and voice" simultaneousness tech and how their staying with AT&T. Is it really something we didn't know before that wouldn't be included? Everyday it's something new thats wrong. Nobody will ever be pleased. Everything will always have pros and cons. Get used to it. It's called competition. Verizon has a better network, is in the lead with faster data, LTE, and AT&T is far behind but they have voice and data usable at the same time.

I don't believe for one second that Apple didn't ask Verizon first I totally agree with @Just_a_Guy.

I yes I would say about 80% of my friends who own iphone do calls and internet at the same time, looking up stuff in mail, evernote, springpad, navigation and facebook for events

Such a dumb story for Verizon to try and tell. Everyone knows, and they confirmed, they refused to allow Apple to control the user experience (because VZ was so busy selling crummy phones with crummy interfaces). From USA Today in 2007:

"Among other things, Apple wanted a percentage of the monthly cellphone fees, say over how and where iPhones could be sold and control of the relationship with iPhone customers, said Jim Gerace, a Verizon Wireless vice president. "We said no. We have nothing bad to say about the Apple iPhone. We just couldn't reach a deal that was mutually beneficial."

Customer care was another hitch: If an iPhone went haywire, Apple wanted sole discretion over whether to replace or repair the phone. "They would have been stepping in between us and our customers to the point where we would have almost had to take a back seat … on hardware and service support," Gerace says.

Why does everyone keep saying that Apple chose AT&T? They signed with Cingular and Cingular was purchased by AT&T before the 1st iPhone came out.

Unfortuately, I heard about the deal being turned down from verizon from my dad who worked for verizon and was in a position where he COULD have known about that.... I don't know if he's right but I do believe him. Don't take my word for it though.

Unfortuately, I heard about the deal being turned down from verizon from my dad who worked for verizon and was in a position where he COULD have known about that.... I don't know if he's right but I do believe him. Don't take my word for it though.

You don't use it if you never had it :) If you are on AT&T you will probably use it and then miss it going to Verizon. If you are in the middle of transferring something it will now disconnect on you. If you are tethered to a laptop you will lose your connection. If you want to lookup a movie time or map directions or shoot an email to someone while talking to them, you won't be able to.

You will miss it initially, but it is just a trade-off for a moving to Verizon.

@falcon5768: You get over it. I use it regularly. I am a truck driver and tether my phone to my computer for Internet access on the road. Take many phone calls while computing.

Do it all the time if using a Nav program and taking a speakphone call qualifies as simultaneous usage.