Apple says Steve Jobs feeling a little under the weather recently

[AppleInsider]

Apple has responded to concerns spreading across internet blogs regarding the health of Steve Jobs after photos taken Monday at the WWDC conference in San Francisco show him looking a little more frail than usual.

Specifically, the Wall Street Journal points to a headline on the Drudge Report that read "Concern over Apple Steve Jobs’s physical appearance…,” which linked to photos of the chief executive without further comment.

Responding to questions on the matter Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Cupertino-based electronics maker told the financial paper that Jobs has been plagued by a "common bug" in recent weeks, but that he felt it essential that he make good on delivering the opening keynote address at the annual Apple developer conference and personally take the wraps off the company's new 3G iPhone.

Jobs's physical health has been an on-again, off-again topic of discussion ever since he was diagnosed with a rare form of pancreatic cancer four years ago, which he beat after undergoing a successful surgery.

Investors and Apple loyalists pay particular attention to the chief executive's appearance because they consider him to be irreplaceable to the company he rescued from the doldrums a little over ten years ago. Not helping matters are reports that Jobs hid his battle with cancer for a full nine months before informing shareholders and anyone outside his most intimate of inner circles.

Photo taken of Steve Jobs Monday | Copyright REUTERS/Kimberly White..

Last year, financial publication Barron's suggested that Jobs may be worth more to Apple than any other chief executive in the world, estimating that Apple's market cap would instantly bleed $20 billion in value should he abruptly be forced to abandon his leadership role at the company.

The last time Apple provided an update on Jobs's health was nearly two years ago when similar concerns began to mount following his appearance at the 2006 Apple developers conference. At the time, the company's VP of worldwide corporate communications Katie Cotton downplayed the concerns, saying Jobs's health was "robust."

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

[SpamSandwich]

I think Jobs is going to have to inform the media every time he catches cold now, but frankly, the response from Apple leaves me a little tepid.

[cosmic68]

I thought he looked poorly. I wish him the very best and hope he's ok. He's a cool geezer.

[McHuman]

Everyone I know here in los angeles has a cold right now. Its going around the west coast cities. I know I for one look like major ASS when I get a bad cold.

[hypoluxa]

I am confident that if anything were to happen to him, Apple is in good hands. But he does look a little gaunt.

[suhail]

oh gosh he looks terrible!

[dontlookleft]

Originally Posted by McHuman

Everyone I know here in los angeles has a cold right now. Its going around the west coast cities. I know I for one look like major ASS when I get a bad cold.

LOL.

if it's just a cold, i'm sure he'll be fine again soon.

[SpamSandwich]

Originally Posted by McHuman

Everyone I know here in los angeles has a cold right now. Its going around the west coast cities. I know I for one look like major ASS when I get a bad cold.

And I look like four-star general ass when I get sick.

[makesense]

quite thin, check the hips and thighs, looks like he weighs 130-140 pounds (I am 5'8'' and weigh about 155 and he is a lot thinner than I); anorexic looking, or possibly chemo; but, as upbeat as ever.......also noticed a warmer praise of his team than ever before (coincidence?)

[SpamSandwich]

No matter how much they deny it, I'm concerned..until Teh Steve is seen in public again at a healthy body weight, anyway.

[teonyc]

Originally Posted by SpamSandwich

No matter how much they deny it, I'm concerned..until Teh Steve is seen in public again at a healthy body weight, anyway.

While watching the stream of the Keynote, I noticed how gaunt he looked. He also just seemed frail overall, the way he moved, etc.

Ever since he was treated for cancer, Apple has been trotting out other officers in these presentations, trying to plan for a transition. It seemed especially true this time when Jobs did less than half of the Keynote.

While I hope whatever is ailing him (be it transient or serious) is resolved soon.

[monstrosity]

Originally Posted by makesense

quite thin, check the hips and thighs, looks like he weighs 130-140 pounds (I am 5'8'' and weigh about 155 and he is a lot thinner than I); anorexic looking, or possibly chemo; but, as upbeat as ever.......also noticed a warmer praise of his team than ever before (coincidence?)

i spotted this at the time, it did make me wonder.

[bdkennedy1]

Ok, Steve's health does not appear to be robust. I thought that he looked frail in 2006 after having cancer, which is to be expected, but my jaw dropped when I saw him last night. You can see his bones through the turtleneck.

I've also noticed more and more that Steve is having his tech guys up on stage to discuss the products, as if to transition us slowly away from Steve being the keynote leader.

I may be completely wrong, (I hope I am) but I don't think I am. I took care of a friend with cancer for 4 years and there's a huge similarity between how Steve looks now and how my friend did.

[geminisalsero]

There was a "little" something missing on the keynote and it was the upbeat from Jobs. He did look a little fragile compared to January. All the best to him and his family.

[riversky]

Originally Posted by bdkennedy1

Ok, Steve's health does not appear to be robust. I thought that he looked frail in 2006 after having cancer, which is to be expected, but my jaw dropped when I saw him last night. You can see his bones through the turtleneck.

I've also noticed more and more that Steve is having his tech guys up on stage to discuss the products, as if to transition us slowly away from Steve being the keynote leader.

I may be completely wrong, (I hope I am) but I don't think I am. I took care of a friend with cancer for 4 years and there's a huge similarity between how Steve looks now and how my friend did.

I am a little concerned. He looked very bad on stage, more than how he looked it was how he moved around.

The second issue is last week remember Apple moved a bunch of execs around and added some new top guys. This says to me they are preparing for a transition and wan the people in place.

Finally if something were to happen Apple's stock will tank big time.

Best wishes to Steve if indeed it is something more serious.

p.s. also he hid his bout with cancer the first time!

[geminisalsero]

Originally Posted by bdkennedy1

Ok, Steve's health does not appear to be robust. I thought that he looked frail in 2006 after having cancer, which is to be expected, but my jaw dropped when I saw him last night. You can see his bones through the turtleneck.

I've also noticed more and more that Steve is having his tech guys up on stage to discuss the products, as if to transition us slowly away from Steve being the keynote leader.

I may be completely wrong, (I hope I am) but I don't think I am. I took care of a friend with cancer for 4 years and there's a huge similarity between how Steve looks now and how my friend did.

Well Jobs is not longer a tech savy like his tech guys, so he doesn't need to bother with the jargon. This is a different keynote in terms of not just showing products, but explaining the "guts" on how everything works behind the scenes. We will see on September how the presentation is managed when he does the Special Event for ipods and mac computers.

[Booga]

Originally Posted by SpamSandwich

No matter how much they deny it, I'm concerned..until Teh Steve is seen in public again at a healthy body weight, anyway.

He's a vegan. He'll never reach a healthy body weight...

The day Jobs leaves the industry it will become a much less interesting place, though. On the other hand, maybe it would do his health some good to spend the summer on the beach.

[CREB]

My wife is shocked at how he looks. I too had a friend with pancreatic cancer, and matters are touchy, with the end a complete shocker when and if it arrives. I wish Jobs the best, but none of us live forever. No matter when his end, he's lived one helluva a life!

[LouisTheXIV]

Cold my ass.

You don't lose 20-30 pounds and look like the death is staring in your face over a cold.

The man looks gaunt--even anorexic in appearance. That is not just a cold.

[lodenmuse]

While Steve is noticeably thinner than at Macworld 2007, I actually noticed that he was healthier looking yesterday than at either Macworld 2008 or the March 6 SDK event (He didn't sport his beard stubble scruff yesterday that helps camouflage a bit).

I hate that Apple feels pressured to comment , "oh, yeah... you know, he actually WAS feeling under the weather..." Steve has always possessed outstanding vibrancy of ideas, and an energy that helps distract us from the fact that we all age, grow old, and eventually die. I trust that Steve stays with us as long as possible, and I know he will squeeze every ounce of creativity out of himself for us while he is. I should accomplish as much by the time I'm only 53.

But still--from now on, every time I get a cold, I'm going to call in to work and say, "and you know.. I'm not getting any younger..."

[TBaggins]

Yeah, I noticed yesterday that in the photos he looked really, REALLY skinny.

The problem is, there's no way Apple or even Steve can really reassure anyone about his health, because almost any explanation they can give will sound like spin, something Apple/Steve is famous for. The only way to dispel the worrying over his health is for him to make a public appearance at a healthy body weight.

He should quietly take an extended vacation and/or greatly reduce his day-to-day duties and focus almost entirely on his health issues, if he's not doing so already. I really, really hope it isn't cancer-related. Hope ya get better soon, Steve.



.

[FreeState]

Originally Posted by LouisTheXIV

Cold my ass.

For those of you in other places - there has been a really bad cold going around CA for the last 4-6 months. The cold last 1 month+. I had it for nearly two months and lost 10 lbs. If you have a lowered immunity and get this cold its even worse (i.e. a cancer survivor).

Why do people even listen to Drudge? I dont trust him for news yet alone diagnostics of peoples health via a picture. Who does he think he is Tom DeLay?

Just and FYI the same cold George Michael had durring his American Idol performance that made people start speculating about his health as well.

[freethinker]

Originally Posted by Booga

He's a vegan. He'll never reach a healthy body weight...

The day Jobs leaves the industry it will become a much less interesting place, though. On the other hand, maybe it would do his health some good to spend the summer on the beach.

I resent that remark about vegan's never reaching a healthy body weight. I have been a vegan since I was 13 (am 24 now) and I have always maintained an average body weight for a person my height. Veganism does not make one look gaunt. Illness does. Veganism is not an illness.

I wish Steve the best. He has done me proud and we are better on earth for having come in contact with his creations.

By the way, Steve is not even a vegan (or so wikipedia posits).

[Fast Fred 1]

This man is sick. Compared to January this year. You don't loose that much weight in 4 months, unless something is really wrong. Boy and I hope I'm wrong.

[MiMiC]

Hope you get well soon.

[Solar]

Originally Posted by makesense

.also noticed a warmer praise of his team than ever before (coincidence?)

That didn't seem too out of the ordinary to me. It seems he usually says something similar at any major product announcement. It' didn't seem warmer to me, and I've watched pretty much every keynote he's given for the last 10 years.

He is looking very frail though.

Maybe Balmer sent out someone with a polonium mister a couple weeks ago..

[sapporobaby]

Specifically, the Wall Street Journal points to a headline on the Drudge Report that read "Concern over Apple Steve Jobs’s physical appearance…,” which linked to photos of the chief executive without further comment.

This sentence alone should have been enough to kill the article, but no.... Drudge Report as a credible source. Are they kidding?

[SpamSandwich]

Originally Posted by sapporobaby

This sentence alone should have been enough to kill the article, but no.... Drudge Report as a credible source. Are they kidding?

Drudge doesn't matter, what matters is what we saw with our own eyes.

[bluesplayer]

Originally Posted by MiMiC

Hope you get well soon.

When I watched the address, I though he looked thin but disregarded it because I know he's a runner. But after looking at the photos and the history of pancreatic cancer, I am very worried about him. I'd never heard of curable pancreatic cancer until I read the story about him. It's usually rapidly fatal. All of the previous points made about the change in management, the prevalence of others at the keynote make me even more suspicious. If something happens to him, you can kiss all the great, close to perfect future apple products goodbye. A little bit of excellence will leave all of our lives and we will get more mediocrity. I selfishly hope he's fine.

[SpamSandwich]

Originally Posted by bluesplayer

When I watched the address, I though he looked thin but disregarded it because I know he's a runner. But after looking at the photos and the history of pancreatic cancer, I am very worried about him. I'd never heard of curable pancreatic cancer until I read the story about him. It's usually rapidly fatal. All of the previous points made about the change in management, the prevalence of others at the keynote make me even more suspicious. If something happens to him, you can kiss all the great, close to perfect future apple products goodbye. A little bit of excellence will leave all of our lives and we will get more mediocrity. I selfishly hope he's fine.

Agreed.

[smokeonit]

i wish mr. jobs all the best and IF he got to fight cancer again all the stength in the world to be able to fight it off...

i agree that he looked very bad and that he lost a lot of weight since his last WWDC appearance.... there's many reasons why lost that much weight, but since it's not just a little weight loss it looks severe in his case...

anyways, get well and hopefully it nothing serious!!!!

[smokeonit]

Originally Posted by Solar

Maybe Balmer sent out someone with a polonium mister a couple weeks ago..

if you knew how the people died that were poisoned by the putin secret police state people you wouldn't make jokes like that... i think it's one of the worst deaths out there, it's like rotting from the inside, slowly, a VERY painful death... i hope putin and the ones responsible will have to face justice for what they did to those people one day!!!

[801]

You know, besides being ill, running a Major corporation takes a hit on you physically. The stress alone is devastating. I think we gotta get him on N2N and give him a major vacation.
And a few milkshakes a day wouldn't hurt.

[Abster2core]

[QUOTE=AppleInsider;1263202]Apple has responded to concerns spreading across internet blogs regarding the health of Steve Jobs…/QUOTE]

"Concerns?"

If most of the bloggers expressed well wishes rather than grabbing shovels, I would agree.

For a lot of you, I am glad you didn't tell my mom-in-law how terrible she looked as she combatted her illness.

Get well Steve. And I say this not just because you've made my day, again, and again.

[ifiredmyboss.com]

I think he looked pretty good just a little thin. A sign of the times when someone looks like they could run 10 miles and not have a coronary and everyone worries about him. Maybe we ( I ) need to push back from the buffet table once in a while.

[Walter Slocombe]

To be honest I thought he looked a LOT healthier than Phil Shiller. now THERES a man that could stand to lose some weight. actually when I watched the keynote it was him that I took note of.

From my perspective America has adjusted to being fat, anyone who looks a little under weight is now seen as skeletal. sad really.

I mean no offense.

Steves cancer may return, but lets worry about that WHEN it happens, cancer is an obnoxious fact of life, it takes and robs enough time and energy when its THERE, lets not waste any time on it while it ISNT. it really is unworthy of any thought while its away.

believe me I know.

[internetworld7]

Be it as it may, Apple has to be prepared for the inevitable: Life without the great and charismatic Steve Jobs. He's not exactly a young buck in his 20's with or without a cancer condition.

I know Steve Jobs is the man many times over but Apple has to have a post Steve Jobs plan.

[smokeonit]

i disagree with you... i think the best CEO's out there are self tought non-university degree types... mostly people that attended university but didn't graduate, but left early to take a chance and pursue their ideas their way....

i think apple needs someone that puts the same emphasis on design, functionality and ease of use before price and that sort of things... what sets steve jobs apart is his willingness to take risks and to only compromise if it is really necessary...

i think apple has some people in the company that could replace him... if someone unrelated to apple would take the CEO job, worst case someone that has no taste design-wise, apple will go down the drain as it did in the 90's...

apple has has huge successes in the last years, but it can go the opposite direction very fast if someone like scully would take over...

i'd rather see jonathan ives take over the CEO job than someone that knows about financials...

innovation is key to the survival for apple, they need to continue to rival M$ as hard as they can, take away business clients at a high rate... what they're doing right now, to integrate M$ exchange support is very important. this could very well be a revolution in the making in terms of percentage in the business market... if companies like SAP and oracle start to release osX native apps it would also help tremendously to win over business clients...

[Mac-sochist]

Originally Posted by ouragan

It's time for another leader, this time with a university education, to emerge and do so much better than Steve Jobs could ever do:

In my days of simply lurking on this forum, I read any number of ouragan's tirades about how Steve Jobs didn't deserve his success because he was "the illegitimate child of an unwed mother and a Syrian father," and because he "didn't have the persistence or moral fiber to complete a university education." (Like Bill Gates did, for example?) I've almost been motivated to reply on several occasions, if only to say how offended I am by these arguments, but I usually just say to myself: "Well, everybody's entitled to their opinion."

However: saying that kind of thing on this particular thread is at least bad taste....

[Obi-Wan Kubrick]

He did look really thin.