The always candid Steve Jobs

You'd think if anyone was going to pry open the vacuum-sealed chairman of Apple, it would be WSJ columnist Walter Mossberg, who has gotten to be nearly as well known as Jobs (though not quite as rich). Mossberg submitted some emailed questions to Jobs as part of this morning's iPhone hommage - and the responses are... well, they're pretty much what you'd expect coming from someone who orchestrates most every corporate hiccup. Thus, he thinks the key-less keyboard is easy to get used to, believes the quite-slow EDGE data network is plenty fast enough for lots of applications, and defends the company's exclusive deal with AT&T because it's the most popular wireless carrier in the U.S. Some other nuggets from this most revealing interview:

Mossberg: When will there be an iPhone that runs on the fastest, so-called "3G" networks?

Jobs: Walt, you know we don't talk about future products. Again, Wi-Fi is far faster than 3G networks.

Mossberg: Will you follow the pattern you set with the iPod and bring out less costly models? If so, when?

Jobs: We don't talk about future products.

Mossberg: This first model is missing some features some other smart phones have, like video recording, instant messaging, and real-time GPS navigation. Do you plan to upgrade iPhones purchased now so they have these features? If so, when?

Jobs: We don't talk about future products. I will say that the iPhone is the most sophisticated software platform ever created for a mobile device, and that we think software features are where the action will be in the coming years. Stay tuned.