[Dan Frakes]

BrianChen said:

Regarding my article: I agree Roger Kay is in no position to diagnose someone based on a photograph; I don't think he feels he is either. He's making a prediction based on the premise that Apple and Steve Jobs cannot be trusted, because their statements in the past month have been unreliable and contradictory.

I dunno, Brian. Reading the quote, it sure seems like Kay is diagnosing him: "Despite all the protestations, I think he has cancer. They talk about digestive this and digestive that, but ... forget all the buzz you're hearing. Just look at the photos." He said nothing about past statements and mistrust.

Now, if he'd said, "I know they claim it's some digestive issue, but I've learned not to trust Apple PR," maybe. But he explicitly said, "I think he has cancer...just look at the photos." It's so crazy it makes my head feel like it's going to explode ;)

[Dan Miller]

Excellent points, and thanks for the cite. I'm sure you're right that someone will file a suit.

[Dan Miller]

And teh crazy doesn't stop:
http://valleywag.gaw...h-matters-to-us
http://www.bloomberg...id=af4Bdn_Wfx7g

[leicaman]

BrianChen said:

Good piece, Dan.

Regarding my article: I agree Roger Kay is in no position to diagnose someone based on a photograph; I don't think he feels he is either. He's making a prediction based on the premise that Apple and Steve Jobs cannot be trusted, because their statements in the past month have been unreliable and contradictory. This is why Kay and some others don't believe Jobs when he says he's coming back in five months. Sure, they jump to bold conclusions, but why trust anything Apple says at this point?

With that said, I understand your concerns, and I'll share them with our editorial board.

Take care,

Brian Chen

Sorry, that doesn't wash. From what I've seen over the past several years, it's WIRED that cannot be trusted.

You've known how Jobs operates for years. And now you expect him to come clean and tell everybody everything? One of the most secretive people in Silicon Valley isn't to be trusted because he doesn't disclose all the facts up front. And when you twist the semi-clear facts around until they're no longer recognizable, and use a doctor to lend the speculation credibility, then all of a sudden it's Jobs who can't be trusted? Uh huh.

Your argument is either disingenuous, or you're naive.

As a journalist myself, having had to deal with reporting on people and subjects I find distasteful, I find Gizmodo's self flagellation hypocritical. The website that bans people who dare to criticize their boorish behavior at trade shows, is now ready to let everyone see them rend their garments and cover themselves in ashes because they're sorry they have to report a story? Puhleeze.

I hate it when I feel embarrassed because of bozos who report half-cocked stories like WIRED and Gizmodo on the topic at hand. I just don't want to say I'm a journalist, because of what people think that means about me.

[godwillpunishyou]

I don't get it...has anyone considered the possibility that after 6 stress free months Steve Jobs will actually put some weight back on, get better and be back to day to day running of Apple? He also is still the CEO, you know and will be calling the shots while he's away.

So, just because some people have the ability to spew crap and ill minded opinions without any merit, doesn't mean squat.

We're all vulnerable to witch hunts and mass targeting in this age of idiot bloggers and unqualified journalists. People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones- and every house is glass when it comes to malice...

You have to wonder if there isn't some one sponsoring this maddness... Someone like Microsoft's Balmer maybe? Or maybe it's just par for the times we live in.

Instant Karma gonna get you...

[nickatdtgeeks]

EnergonCube,
I agree that there is a reasonable expectation for the CEO of a publicly traded company to disclose any issues that may incapacitate him or otherwise impact that person's leadership, but as I wrote over at PC World (never mind the screenname--it's an old user account), we know everything we need to about Steve's health at the moment. He has a problem related to protein absorption that's causing him to lose weight, it's apparently more complicated than initially thought, and he's stepping away from the company until June. If something new comes up along the way that prevents him from returning by then, the public should know But aside from that, it isn't our business. The rampant speculation--that Steve Jobs has cancer or needs a liver transplant or will have his pancreas removed--is totally meaningless and really needs to stop.

And yes, Tim Cook is an operations man, but that doesn't mean there aren't product innovators at Apple. Jonathan Ive--who is very similar to Jobs in terms of aesthetic taste and incredible attention to detail--could very well step into that role.

[alansky]

I wish everybody would just STFU and leave Steve Jobs alone.

[the_saltminer]

Interesting article, but it brings up an interesting question I have for Mr. Miller and his fellow Macworld editors.

Why isn't Macworld doing any "real" investigation of its own into the whole Jobs scenario? Most of the articles I read on the site are reactive; you're not breaking any news. Mr. Miller's article is basically commentary on what others are reporting. Is such subject matter out of the realm of "The Apple, Mac, iPod, and iPhone Experts"?

I don't mean to be snearky or confrontational. I don't think I understand Macworld's stance. I know that Macworld doesn't report on rumor, but I don't know why you don't do that, either.

It just seems to me that being Macworld, you might have access and insight to Apple that the Bloombergs, Newsers, Gizmodos, and even Wireds don't have.

[lwdesign]

I know what's happening to Steve. Judging by his recent photographs, his body is obviously pulling vital elements out of bone and skin to grow wings, and he is becoming in fact a real life mutant. This is the culmination of a secret Apple R&D project designed to give users super powers. He didn't give the keynote speech at Macworld as the new protruding wing stems would have been impossible to hide. I expect him back within about 6 months sporting an array of gorgeous plumage. He will probably fly unassisted into a press conference held to welcome him back, creating an all-out media frenzy, to announce iPowers (a virus that latches onto human DNA and alters it to provide everything from X-ray vision to invisibility). Steve Jobs is not God but he WILL look like an angel.
This speculation has about as much relevance as any others that have been floating around in the press. Leave the man alone for heaven's sake. It takes a stress-free environment to grow feathers.

[JDW]

Mr. Chen,

I do apologize for disclosing your private medical condition in public but due to your statements made in the past month it is quite clear that you have experienced an extended fever and cranial throbbing lasting more than 7 days. It is also obvious that you have been under intense journalistic stress lately resulting in sudden, uncontrollable pains in the gluteus maximus. I am therefore led to the bold conclusion that you have cancer of largely unknown pennyaliner membrane. Not being a medical doctor myself, I cannot advise the best treatment. But after consulting Dr. Suess, I regret to inform you that in 60 to 80 years you will most assuredly be six feet under. The doctor recommends putting your house in order now, while there is still time.

If you have any concerns about my disclosure of your condition, I shall certainly share them with our editorial board.

[garyi]

Hey look we are all human. You can sense when something is seriously wrong with a human, we are human and we can do that. There is something seriously wrong with Steve Jobs. And its a sad state of affairs. But there it is.
There is nothing you can do about the speculation, when things were good Steve liked the lime light.

[Jason Snell]

Quite frankly, I don't think digging up innuendo about the personal health of Apple's CEO is our job. So we don't do it.

We don't report on rumor because rumors are incredibly unreliable, and I don't believe they serve anyone's best interests. Even the best rumor sources are often totally wrong, because Apple continually changes its plans.

We're not here to feed the next episode of a soap opera, one about Steve Jobs' health or one about what the next imaginary rumored product might be.

[lamsdale]

Some of the best products and ideas come from companies or people who don't listen to what people want, but have a strong idea of their own and the confidence to follow-through on them. To follow the market and try to appeal to the most people will often lead to mediocre products or ideas, even though they may be popular. And no company has to offer all customers what they want - a company is free to produce whatever products and services it chooses, and the market will decide what succeeds and what fails.

[WarrenS]

Unfortunately companies, corporations, and even a family business that are run by a very dynamic personalities seldom last but a few years past the removal of the major driving force behind them. Is Apple an exception, god I hope so.
I personally think that Steve will be back. I also think that Apple will last more than the 17 years Walton (of Sam Walton fame) gives the company.