Apple fans are a zealous lot. They love their pretty little machines. They love the innovation for which Apple has rightly become famous, and tune in to Steve Jobs announcements with all the enthusiasm of congregants at a revivalist church.

That Jobs, Apple’s CEO, is a control freak and a grasping, mean bastard is something they’d rather not dwell on. When Gizmodo, a major technology website, discovered a prototype of the next-generation iPhone, Apple was incensed that it dared disclose its plans to the world. It would have its revenge. Not only did it promise civil suits and criminal prosecution, but guess whose App Store and iTunes privileges have been revoked?