You know a story has turned a corner when Jon Stewart takes it on, as he did Wednesday night with the case of the lost iPhone prototype.

The satirical host of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show devotes nearly nine minutes to the saga. He gets a few facts wrong and glosses over the possibility that crimes were committed, but by the end it’s abundantly clear that he — and his audience — think Apple (AAPL) has gone too far.

“Apple, you guys were the rebels, man, the underdogs,” he says at one point. “People believed in you. But now, are you becoming The Man? Remember back in 1984, you had those awesome ads about overthrowing Big Brother? Look in the mirror, man!”

Stewart is one of America’s most influential opinion makers, who can turn his young audience — a key demographic — against a politician, a celebrity or a product with a few well-honed barbs. The targets of the kind of treatment he gave Apple and Steve Jobs Wednesday night may never quite recover. Just ask John McCain, Jim Cramer, Glenn Beck or the hosts of the now defunct CNN Crossfire.

If you’ve been following the Apple vs. Gizmodo story, this one’s a must-watch. The “Appholes” video is available here and pasted below the fold.

Via Gawker.TV.

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See also:

• Did Apple call the cops on Gizmodo
• Police raid Gizmodo editor’s home
• Lost iPhone: The cops are on the case
• Apple wants its secret iPhone back
• Letterman’s Top 10: Excuses for the guy who lost Apple’s top secret iPhone

[Follow Philip Elmer-DeWitt on Twitter @philiped]