Reports of Verizon and AT&T scheming to direct buyers away from the iPhone seem to be true. [Special Report]

Could it be a result of rumors that Apple is showing possible interest in purchasing Sprint?

To me, that's really the only thing that would make sense. Else, why not promote the best-selling and top quality smartphone on the market? If you didn't know, both AT&T as well as Verizon have been accused as of late, of directing people away from the iPhone, with AT&T even having been rumored to be offering extra commission for non-iPhone sales.

Well, I just did some footwork, visiting (undercover) my local AT&T and Verizon dealers. I went in to each store, and just played dumb, asking which of their phones were the best, which were the most feature-rich, which worked the best and which were most cost effective. In both stores, at no point did any sales rep even mention the iPhone! I was shocked. The Droid, the Samsung Galaxy, the Motorola LG; all of those were ones I was eagerly and enthusiastically directed towards. But no mention of the iPhone. Forgive me if it seems I'm being a little defensive, but come on folks!

If I were Apple, I'd have something to say about such a business model. I'll keep you posted if it turns out Apple feels the same way I do, and decides to say something about all this after all...