All I have to say is, “It’s about ******’ time!”

Word has been circulating all day today that not only will Apple be unveiling the long-rumored Apple Tablet on Wednesday as its press event, but that it may also finally be announcing that the iPhone will be available on multiple carriers, breaking the exclusivity with AT&T in the United States.

Can I get a, “HALLE-FREAKIN-LUJAH!”

According to BusinessWeek, it would break down as:

• Verizon – summer
• T-Mobile & Sprint – fall
• Clearwire Corp. – Sometime in 2011

Being a Sprint subscriber, I’m over the Moon at the prospect that this may finally becoming a reality, but most of all I am happy for consumers and, yes, even Apple.  As I wrote recently on TechnoBuffalo in “Why Isn’t The iPhone On Every Carrier Yet?“, the continued exclusivity makes no sense on any front at this point.  For the consumer this will spur competition between the carriers to get the iPhone customers to be on their networks, and could possibly result in customers making a mass exodus from AT&T.

On the other hand, Apple is set to make more money than most people can even count.  In the quarter report that just came out from Apple for the three month period ending Dec. 26th, the company sold 8.7 million iPhones combined from all territories, and combined with its record number of Macs sold (and an eight percent decline in iPod sales), it walked away with a profit of $3.38 billion.  Now imagine the iPhone being sold across all four major United States carriers, and it is easy to see why it is time for Apple to cut the exclusivity from AT&T.

The time for a freed iPhone has come, the only question is if Apple will actually follow through with the idea.  My gut tells me this is actually going to happen because it is about the only thing that makes sense at this point for the product.

… and if true, thus will begin my cursing the fact I just bought a BlackBerry Tour this past August.