By the time you read this the great tech mystery of 2010 will be in the process of being solved. Apple (AAPL) will have reaped the untold PR benefits of three weeks “radio silence,” while the tech and journalism world frothed over whether the new e-tablet or tabloid will prove the savior of the media industry or just another Newton. As CEO Steve Jobs takes to the stage in San Francisco he will have created a huge buzz about his new master product by completely thumbing his nose at social media and word-of-mouth—the must-have marketing tool all other CEO’s are being told they have to embrace in order to succeed.

What gives? How can one company succeed in being so, frankly, anti-social, when the general business trend is hell-bent on crowdsourcing, influencer-cultivating and beta-testing products in order to win over the Twittering masses? If Apple can pull it off, why should your company bother indulging these blathering bloggers?

I did a quick Google search and found millions of articles and blog posts written by social media “experts” exhorting companies to be more “social.” I couldn’t find one of these gurus preaching the value of shutting the media and social media out of the loop. Not surprising, then, that both old school media and new school social media thinkers begrudgingly credit Apple’s strict veil of secrecy for fueling the best tech marketing coup since, well, the launch of the iPhone.

And begrudging it certainly is. You see, while the public may adore Apple for the stylish sophistication and minimalist yet extraordinary functionality of its products, most tech journalists harbor a distinct love/hate feeling for the company due to the fact that the it rarely talks to them, and certainly not on the media’s own terms. As the New York Times‘ David Carr put it this week, “As an organization, Apple is more disciplined in managing message than even the Obama campaign, with a culture — some would say cult — of corporate omertà.”

For social media advocates, Apple’s stance is even worse. This is company that has been openly hostile to the blogging community, whose secrecy about its products runs completely contrary to the open source ideals of online collaboration, and whose idea of transparent communication stopped with the iMac G3 casing.

But just how anti-social is Apple? Go to any Apple physical store and its customers benefit from the sort of attention few other brands would ever indulge in. Want to improve your computing skills? Just sign up for a free Apple software/media masterclass. Need a tip or diagnostic evaluation? Just make an appointment at one of Apple’s Genius Bars for free, initial advice (though of course you may pay to get things fixed). Online, Apple’s own site posts detailed troubleshooting guides and hosts customer-sourced forums to help solve bugs and problems. Then there are the legions of other Apple fans who contribute to non-official forums creating an accessible support community to rival most other tech manufacturers.

Underpinning Apple’s aloof approach is the consistency and, yes, the ingenuity of it products. Sure, Apple is not without its bugs and exploding batteries (and if someone could help me fix my flaky WiFi connection on my Macbook Air, it’d be much appreciated) but for 30 years it has innovated and redefined the way we use technology, communicate online and consume, create and share media. In many ways it could be argued that Apple has been an enabler of social media even as it decided not to take part in the “conversation” itself.

And it will probably continue to do so until the wheels fall of its innovation train. After all, it took a customer service/PR calamity to spur Dell into embracing social communication just as Starbucks (SBUX) embraced more open customer communication on the heels of criticism over worker’s tips and the sourcing of its coffee.

For the moment, while Apple continues to wow the world not just with savvy marketing but impressive products it can afford to ignore social communities. And so can your company….if you can make products as remarkable as Apple.