There's been lots of buzz about all the cool new features in Apple's new iPhone 4, but one of the things I especially appreciated about how Apple promoted the launch was the section on their site devoted to Developer Stories.

The star of the show with the iPhone 4 is clearly the technology, with lots of cool new stuff that has many current iPhone users checking the status of their current AT&T contract (me included).

Yet Apple took some time -- and judging by the quality and loving care with which these films were made, invested some money -- to tell these developer stories, and put a human face on the technology.

(I found the story behind the Pandora app, told by Pandora's Tom Conrad, pictured above, a compelling testament to the transformative power of the iPhone and the app platform.)

These stories may seem like a nice touch, or a cute little add-on, but to me they're not extra, they're essential -- and they're consistent with Apple's ongoing commitment to telling a story about how what they do impacts lives, not just how they keep coming up with cool bells and whistles. The tech media may focus on the things, but Apple's focus is on the people.

And I think it's that ongoing commitment to the user, demonstrated by their ongoing commitment to story, that keeps Apple several steps ahead of the competition -- not just in the power of their technology, but in the loyalty of their advocates.