Bobbing for Apples, live on TV

It's been an eventful day in the world of Apple. Steve Jobs returned to the stage to present the company's latest line of iPods, as well as updates to iTunes, iPhone OS and a bunch of other tweaks and tucks to the product line. The venerable iPod - it's been around for almost 8 years - may not be as hot as it once was, and it may be forced to live in the iPhone's growing shadow, but it still sells in the tens of millions, and ranks as one of the most iconic brands of the Internet age.

So any change, even a minor one, is enough for those who follow - and occasionally pray at - the Cult of Apple to pause and celebrate the new harvest of fruity-themed slices of technology.

I'm hardly a gadget freak (though I DID figure out this week how to sync my BlackBerry Tour to iTunes...yay me!) but I still enjoy watching this company turn what would otherwise be mundane product announcements into cultural happenings. That Steve Jobs took the opportunity to talk about his liver transplant - the organ was donated by a 20-something car crash victim - made it even more significant. He didn't just announce some new geek tchatchkes today. He likely saved lives well into the future. Good on you, Mr. Jobs.

Your turn: When tech matters. Please discuss.

One more thing: I'm scheduled to speak live with CTV News Channel's Marcia MacMillan this evening - at 9:15 p.m. EDT. Earlier today, I spoke with CBC Radio's Meegan Read, 640Toronto's John Downs, the Toronto Star's Chris Sorensen and the Globe & Mail's Omar El Akkad. Macleans Magazine (!) also published this piece, Too hot for iPhone, by Colin Campbell. I'll post links as additional content is posted online.