If you work in something called the Web Communications unit, chances are you’ll happen upon one or two co-workers who like gadgets. Well, yes, I can confirm. If, moreover, you have a collective ethos placing a premium on graphic design, hip online videos, and things cool in general, it’s a fairly safe bet that the products of a certain Cupertino-based gadget manufacturer will inspire an unreasonable degree of reverence. Again, check.

So what was the big talking point in the office corridors this week? The unfolding story of the next Bulgarian commissioner? The pros and cons of body scanners in airports? The plans of the newly re-elected EU ombudsman? Get outta here! No, it was the iPad, variously the overgrown iPhone or semi-dismantled MacBook, unleashed on a far-from-unsuspecting world by geek-prophet-cum-style-guru Steve Jobs on Wednesday evening, Brussels time.

I can offer no punditry or insight here on the iPad, nor do I need to, given the unbelievable amount of hype and comment this week over this (seen the cover of the Economist this week, anyone?). However, I can offer a glimpse of WebCom collective psychology. The drooling was underway in real time on Facebook, and by the following morning there was a fully-fledged business plan to equip all web-editors with WiFi and 3G equipped iPads, along with keyboard docks of course, to allow them to ply their trade from committee meeting rooms, the train to Strasbourg and from the Starbucks on Place du Luxembourg (the main obstacle to the latter being – inexplicably – that there isn’t one yet).

Let them dream…

Listening to all this, the Director gave us his usual wry smile. He’s heard it all before. They’re flighty in their product affections, these WebCommers, but very brand loyal. There was once an absolute need to dispatch all editors to far-flung locations with MacBook Airs (that’s the ultra-skinny one), and later a painfully obvious requirement to hand out iPhones to anyone who might ever twitter on behalf on the European Parliament. He well knows you have to let the WebCommers dream of being cool Californian web-dudes now and then. It’s part of the self-image…

…And then you send them back to their five year-old desktop PCs. They’ll get on with the job, with maybe just the odd wistful glance at www.apple.com between articles.