Apple is one of the coolest companies in the world, with some of the most iconic products ever seen in a geek's hand or desk.

But Apple is notorious for secrecy. It doesn't blog, it never gives anything away and as the New York Times wrote recently, it imposes harsh sanctions on employees who violate rules about information sharing.

The farce around Steve Jobs' recent return to work after his liver transplant was a case in point. The secrecy around it was so high that it raised intense levels of speculation. A blog post or a statement could have calmed investor fears instead Apple and Jobs jealously guarded any information.

But this has worked for Apple. Feverish levels of hype and interest surround every product launch, meaning that the company never has to say anything the products just speak for themselves.

Consider the iPhone. It's a great gadget, but Apple jealously guards all tech details. Or think of iTunes. Apple just recently shut access to the music service from the Palm Pre. Not too keen on sharing, are they?

Microsoft's lessons

Apple and its products have never really had big problems with security, at least not on the level of a company like Microsoft.