A few years ago, I joined a gaggle of technology journalists at the Cupertino, CA, headquarters of what was then called Apple Computer. (The company is called Apple now.) The occasion was an announcement of some sort; I've long since forgotten the specifics.

We milled around outside the auditorium, chatting with each other and some Apple PR folks and executives. Then we headed inside, to get the latest from Steve Jobs, who'd not long before that returned, after a ...