I'd say its highly like AT&T's move today was somewhat influenced by Apple. The media backlash is not good for neither business, and as Apple are very keen to paint that 'more than perfect customer experience' image, they've probably pushed AT&T into a corner.
With the issue being just as rife here, it's possible O2 may now do something similar. Personally, I hope they don't has it just resets the president for next year all over again!