From RegHardware comes the scoop that Apple will announce the Euro iPhone on Monday. It’ll be available on multiple carriers (Vodafone and T-Mobile), sold unlocked at CarPhone Warehouse, and will sport 3G street cred. What does this really mean? Well, principally it means that being first in line for today’s AT&T iPhone is a complete waste of time and money, unless your only purpose for getting one is drawing a crowd every time your phone rings.

It also means that the current raft of criticism lobbed toward Apple (and toward the irrational exuberance of Apple investors hoping that Apple will turn the mobile biz on its ear) is largely a criticism of AT&T Wireless, and the limitations of a combination of the AT&TW network and the structure of the deal they likely struck with Apple.

Apple’s not stupid. They’re betting big on GSM and GSM-based 3G wireless. The unlocked “TriPhones”, available in Europe (possibly also in Canada?) come this October, will be the items to have. If you buy an iPhone this weekend then you’re going to lose a lot of value very quickly.