Cold War between iPhone and Android ?

On the same day the iPad is unveiled, it sounds like Apple’s exclusivity deal with AT&T may be expiring. If true, I can imagine Ste...

On the same day the iPad is unveiled, it sounds like Apple’s exclusivity deal with AT&T may be expiring. If true, I can imagine Steve Jobs making this an important part of his announcements on January 27th:

“I’m excited to announce that starting today, the new iPhone will be available for any carrier in the United States to sell.”

What does this mean for Google though? One advantage of Google’s Android strategy is that it’s not limited to only one carrier — it’s available where the iPhone isn’t, and so far, that has worked alright. On the other hand, I don’t believe they have tapped the potential that exists outside of AT&T.

On Wednesday, Android may be directly competing with the iPhone. The question is what percentage of people who want to buy an iPhone has already left their carrier and moved to AT&T, and how many are looking to jump ship as soon as possible from the carrier.

Considering the Nexus One flop (some say only 20,000 units sold on the first week), it will be interesting to see how no exclusivity for iPhone could make it even more difficult for Android to gain momentum.

If the non-exclusive thing happens, what do you think Android’s future looks like?