SURPRISE! Carriers Didn't Know iMessage Was Coming Until Today's Keynote

Apparently Apple didn't tell its carrier partners about iMessage, the new messaging system that could make SMS irrelevant.

They found out at the same time as the rest of us: during today's WWDC keynote.

That's according John Gruber, who dropped that factoid into a quick post about Apple's iMessage, attributing it to "a well-informed little birdie."

If so, that's pretty amazing chutzpah on the part of Apple. iMessage will let any two iOS device users send texts to each other directly for free, without having to use SMS. If you and most of your friends have an iPhone or iPad, there's really not much reason to keep a messaging plan around.

See also: Here's How iMessage, Apple's BBM Killer, Works