Wow, some kind of day for Apple.  Their stock is getting hammered and leading a NASDAQ plunge.  Esquire ran an article about how Steve Jobs is very much mortal, after all.  And now this.

9to5mac is reporting that an insider sort of tipster claims "Apple will be announcing iPhones for Verizon Wireless in 2009, perhaps as early as Macworld 2009."  That's all kinds of good news for iPhone lovers and VZW supporters out there, and all kinds of bad news for iPhone haters and AT&T in general.

The report lists a number of reasons/clues why this may be happening, and goes on to speculate about Apple possibly looking at other US carriers, as well, when their AT&T exclusivity deal runs out.  And when, exactly, is that deal ending?

Depending on whether you trust the original article which said it would be five years or the latest article which says two years, or any of the other speculation out there
(CNN says 2009), nothing public has ever been uncovered that has
specified the length of AT&T-Apple exclusivity deals, if one
exists.  A Macworld 2009 launch would put the AT&T-Apple
exclusivity at 18 months, WWDC 2009 would be 2 years.

Sounds good to me.  Stay tuned ...