It is a thing of beauty (with a little bit of healthy envy mixed in) to watch a well-oiled reputation management machine at work.

Just such a machine resides in the corporate headquarters of Apple, Inc., in Cupertino, Calif.

While business ups and downs of Apple are well-documented, its ability to maintain and grow its cutting-edge, techno-savvy (insert other techie adjectives here) reputation cannot be questioned.

There is one easy way to identify the reputation elite from the rank and file. They can make news by simply saying they are going to say something. Not the announcement itself, mind you, only the pledge to make an announcement will yield news coverage of an anticipatory nature that guarantees a second-day story. And for those of you who have followed our posts on crisis communication, this is one of those times when we want a second-day story.

Apple’s “announcement of an announcement” yesterday created just such a buzz. It yielded coverage in mainstream news outlets everywhere with language such as, “Will Apple kill the iPod? Or will it transform it into a new, more drool-worthy device? We’ll know in less than 24 hours…” Or, “Nothing generates rumor and speculation in the tech world more than an Apple press conference.…”

So, stay tuned. I, for one, will be watching and waiting for today’s announcement, with some healthy envy mixed in.