I'm sure it's painful for AT&T to take abuse from all this stuff out there, justified or not, about their wireless products/services.
But I think the Apple relationship, assuming AT&T is able to and wants to nurture and continue it, is great for AT&T. Apple is not one to settle for sub par consumer experiences and might just drag AT&T, kicking an screaming, to the forefront of technology and speed and turn it into a market leader instead of a follower.