This little Monday morning tidbit breaks me up!

I guess excellence really is in the details. And Apple -thanks to Steve Jobs – has proven time and again that this motto is firmly embedded in the work ethic of their employees.

From their meticulous attention to packaging and design, to their life-changing products and their compelling presentations and events, Apple has relentlessly taken a Type A approach to the manner in which their products are unveiled to and viewed by the consumers.

Now, a new tidbit has surfaced thanks to RedmondPie.Com, addressing the mother of all of Apple’s penchant for detail, perfection and precision.

According to the article, there is a valid reason why the IPhone’s time is always set to 9:42 in Apple’s advertisements. And, if you are a fellow Type A, you’re going to love this!

Here is an excerpt from RedmondPie.Com’s article:

A bit of Google-fu tells us that Apple VP Scott Forstall has also weighed in on the story, and we much prefer his take on things. While the story does fit with Borchers to some extent, Forstall says that the 9:42 reference comes from Apple wanting the iPhone’s image to pop up on the big screen at around the 40-minute mark of Apple events. Apple eventually plumped for 9:42, so that the time on the image would match, as near as possible, the actual time when the latest handset is shown off.

“We design the (product launch) keynotes so that the big reveal of the product happens around 40 minutes into the presentation. When the big image of the product appears on screen, we want the time shown to be close to the actual time on the audience’s watches. But we know we won’t hit 40 minutes exactly.”

The story might also explain why the iPad tends to have a time of 9:41 in press images, with a similar story being true. While the times might not line up exactly during the keynotes at which new iPhones and iPads are announced, it tends to be fairly close at least.

However, on Apple’s IPhone page, the IPhone is set to 9:41. Very perplexing, but close enough.

Is that jaw-dropper or no? Who thinks up this stuff? Pretty incredible!