The genius in this is how Paul led the reader from one variation to the next (no pun intended), until ultimately arriving at his final proposal.
Usually budget logo design; from freelancers etc, result in you getting an email with x number of Options and little to no reasoning.
It's salesmanship! When you spend six figures on a logo, you are certainly going to enter the final presentation with a lot of skepticism. Presenting the final work this way alleviates that anxiety.
You have to wonder if some of that salesmanship rubbed off on Jobs and if he carried that into his later years at Apple.