Absolute speculation here, but I think going exclusively with AT&T was part of a cautious roll out strategy for the device. This was a first generation handheld that breaks the mold in many respects. I imagine the technology to make the internet and phone service "just work" requires a certain amount of stability in the backend. Working with a single service provider makes things simpler initially and allows development and debugging to be quicker. You don't have to worry about quirks between service providers so much in this setup.
There's also the money factor. An exclusivity deal brings in big bucks over and above revenue attributable to sales of individual units or service plans.
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