[Kerrigan]

He's looking a bit gaunt these days.

[k2director]

I was thinking the same thing. He also seemed to be a little less forceful in his delivery. Hope he's doing alright.

[Randman]

Someone reads Drudge Report.

[Atheist]

I don't think it's being overly dramatic in the least to suggest that Mr. Jobs is ill. As sad as it sounds, I don't think he has that much time left on this planet. Over the past 2 years he has gotten more and more frail.

[Kerrigan]

It may have something to do with that special diet he's hoping will combat his cancer.

[Salty]

You know, honestly I think he'll be OK for the next while, and if he does go, he'll at least have accomplished a lot.

[Atheist]

Every time I see Jobs I think of Christian Bale in The Machinist:

[Ratspittle]

I was going to post this as a new thread, until I saw it was already there. And who was that guy that did most of the keynote which Jobs would usually do? He looked like a guy from a 1990s cereal commercial. Nice diction, bad body language. What has happened to Steve-o? I miss the old dynamic Steve.

[Big Mac]

He has been looking gaunt for quite a while. He is indeed mortal and that was a serious diagnosis. However, I actually think he looks better at WWDC than he did a year or so ago. He's also no longer coughing after every couple of sentences, as he was a couple of years ago (prior to the original cancer announcement). Let's not jump to gloomy conclusions.

[flabasha]

I have to agree. Numerous photos from the event instantly struck me as disturbing.

I really hope it's just the vegan diet. But he does not look well.

[Big Mac]

But are you really certain he looks all that different from a year ago?

[Stogieman]

Yeah, I'm sure. Here's a picture of him at the WWDC 2007.




He looked skinner than he did last year but not as bad as he did in 2006 when he had cancer.

[Randman]

I miss the rugged 'stache.

[MacosNerd]

Originally Posted by Atheist 

I don't think it's being overly dramatic in the least to suggest that Mr. Jobs is ill. As sad as it sounds, I don't think he has that much time left on this planet.

I think you're jumping to conclusions. Its kind of reckless to say the man is dying when you're not privy to any of the details of his health

[Dakar the Fourth]

Originally Posted by MacosNerd 

Its kind of reckless to say the man is dying when you're not privy to any of the details of his health

Massive looking weight-loss is a good enough indicator for some idle speculation on an internet forum, methinks.

[Zeeb]

I think he just lost his middle age spread--it doesn't necessarily mean his cancer is back or he's about to die. I did notice his arms are pretty much like pencils now though. He nees to make the iphone 30lbs so that when he lifts it he gets a bicep workout.

[Mastrap]

The operation he had to remove the cancer leads to weight loss. A friend of mine will be going through the same process tomorrow. One of the side effects is that he'll need to change his diet dramatically, as he'll lose part of his stomach and intestine, the gall bladder and pancreas.

This does not however automatically indicate health issues.

[MacosNerd]

Originally Posted by Dakar the Fourth 

Massive looking weight-loss is a good enough indicator for some idle speculation on an internet forum, methinks.

To ponder his health and well being is one thing. To say that he's ready to check out and have a dirt nap is something entirely different and that's what Atheist was saying.

[Hawkeye_a]

Weight loss isnt what caught my attention at first. He sounded really fatigued... almost sedated even. i hope he's doing alright.

[Peter]

are people really assuming he'll DIE?!?!?!

[Jawbone54]

Someone give that boy some red meat.

[Dakar the Fourth]

Originally Posted by MacosNerd 

To ponder his health and well being is one thing. To say that he's ready to check out and have a dirt nap is something entirely different and that's what Atheist was saying.

Speculation is speculation. Agree or disagree, Athiest does have a point on the fact that Steve has had a scare or two regarding his health past couple years. It might not be reasonable to be that pessimistic, but I don't think it's entirely unjustified.

[olePigeon]

So, when do we start counting the death knells of the beleaguered Steve Jobs?

[MacosNerd]

Originally Posted by olePigeon 

So, when do we start counting the death knells of the beleaguered Steve Jobs?

Well based on this thread NOW

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by Peter 

are people really assuming he'll DIE?!?!?!

It seems pretty likely.

[::maroma::]

There's no doubt he's getting thinner. But then again, age + cancer (treatment) will do that to a person. I feel that if Steve was about to jump on the Freedom Train, he'd retire from Apple in order to enjoy his final time on this planet. If he suddenly announces his retirement one day, then I'll start to worry about the man.

[Eug]

Old article, but appropriate nonetheless:

CNN Money: The trouble with Steve Jobs

Jobs likes to make his own rules, whether the topic is computers, stock options, or even pancreatic cancer. The same traits that make him a great CEO drive him to put his company, and his investors, at risk.

[lpkmckenna]

Originally Posted by Chuckit 

It seems pretty likely.

[osiris]

It's the cancer treatment. My dad finished a palette of cancer treatments and lost nearly half his body weight, eating meat and all (when he could eat - cancer sucks) Now he's fine, but it took a while to gain weight, about two years.

[Atheist]

Originally Posted by osiris 

It's the cancer treatment. My dad finished a palette of cancer treatments and lost nearly half his body weight, eating meat and all (when he could eat - cancer sucks) Now he's fine, but it took a while to gain weight, about two years.

Jobs' surgery was 4 years ago and according to the letter he wrote to his employees he "will not require any chemotherapy or radiation treatments." Although that's not to say he hasn't had some other form of treatment.

[Eug]

Originally Posted by osiris 

It's the cancer treatment. My dad finished a palette of cancer treatments and lost nearly half his body weight, eating meat and all (when he could eat - cancer sucks) Now he's fine, but it took a while to gain weight, about two years.

Cancer is a terrible thing to have of course, but before we try comparing Jobs' health to our relatives', note that there are a bazillion different types of "cancer". Some act very aggressively, while some act very indolently, while others act anywhere along the gradient in between.

For example, pancreatic adenocarcinoma has a 5 year survival of much less than 5%, but it depends on how far it has spread. However, Jobs didn't have pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Jobs had some form of an endocrine tumour of the pancreas. Some can behave aggressively, but many don't, and judging by the content of his letter after his surgery, he likely had one of the more indolently behaving ones.

[Jawbone54]

Originally Posted by osiris 

It's the cancer treatment. My dad finished a palette of cancer treatments and lost nearly half his body weight, eating meat and all (when he could eat - cancer sucks) Now he's fine, but it took a while to gain weight, about two years.

Congrats to your dad and your family for making it through that. I've seen both sides, and it's always nice to hear the stories with the happy endings.

[osiris]

Originally Posted by Atheist 

Jobs' surgery was 4 years ago and according to the letter he wrote to his employees he "will not require any chemotherapy or radiation treatments." Although that's not to say he hasn't had some other form of treatment.

There's also a variety of pills and medicines that (imo) degrade your overall health and appearance like you wouldn't believe. It's brutal.

I do hope Steve will be ok though.

[osiris]

Originally Posted by Jawbone54 

Congrats to your dad and your family for making it through that. I've seen both sides, and it's always nice to hear the stories with the happy endings.

thanks Jawbone54, I appreciate that.

[Eug]

Wall Street Journal: Business Technology : Steve Jobs's Appearance Grabs Notice, Not Just the IPhone

In response to a question about his health Tuesday, an Apple spokeswoman said Jobs was hit with a “common bug” in recent weeks but he still felt it was important to participate in the Apple conference. The spokeswoman said he’s now on the mend with the aid of antibiotics.

[Chuckit]

I hereby dub him Syphilis Steve.

[Kerrigan]

From the WSJ blog:

lol he’s slimming up as a show of solidarity with his products
Comment by Chris @ Rizzo Tees - June 10, 2008 at 3:52 pm

[Cold Warrior]

Maybe he's on extreme caloric restriction in order to increase his lifespan.

[Atheist]

Originally Posted by Cold Warrior 

Maybe he's on extreme caloric restriction in order to increase his lifespan.

I think he's reached the point of diminishing returns.

[lpkmckenna]

Just watched the keynote. He didn't look that bad. Molehills.

[dustrho]

I thought he looked pretty bad myself. I do hope he's okay.

[boy8cookie]

Since when is being thin a bad thing? Last I checked, it wasn't.

[Kerrigan]

It's bad when you've had cancer and you've dropped such weight that Drudge, the WSJ, and even little old MacNN is speculating about the reasons behind it.

[OreoCookie]

According to an Apple spokesperson, he is sick, but nothing related to cancer, just a regular `bug.' He has been prescribed antibiotics.

[hyteckit]

Apple's slogan:

You can never be too rich, or too thin.

[Jawbone54]

Everyone's making WAYYYY too big of a deal out of this, which is why I created that poll. I wasn't trying to mock Steve's health; I was pointing out that every time he appears in public, people start predicting his imminent demise.

Steve is fine. Steve will be fine. Steve will probably never die.

[Dakar the Fourth]

Even if his shell dies, I'm sure he'll just transfer his essence to some super computer in in the heart of cupertino.

[voodoo]

Originally Posted by Jawbone54 

Everyone's making WAYYYY too big of a deal out of this, which is why I created that poll. I wasn't trying to mock Steve's health; I was pointing out that every time he appears in public, people start predicting his imminent demise.

Steve is fine. Steve will be fine. Steve will probably never die.

I wouldn't worry about Steve, I certainly hope he has his health for a good long time to come, but I think he'd tell people if he was about to croak!

Steve probably would be spending time with his family instead of introducing iPhones if he was seriously ill.

[Eug]

Originally Posted by voodoo 

I wouldn't worry about Steve, I certainly hope he has his health for a good long time to come, but I think he'd tell people if he was about to croak!

Steve probably would be spending time with his family instead of introducing iPhones if he was seriously ill.

The whole point of the Fortune article I posted was that economists/analysts were concerned that Jobs kept Apple's shareholders in the dark for 9 months after his pancreatic tumour was discovered, while he went on an ill-advised alternative medical treatment regimen. He didn't tell the public until after he had major surgery, and one that has a small but significant risk of death for the procedure alone.

Now, as far as I'm concerned, it's a big grey area, since people have the right to choose their form of treatment and the right to privacy. However, the bottom line is he did NOT suddenly stop working at Apple or tell Apple shareholders. He told some elite members at Apple and the board, and from the sounds of it, that was about it, for a good part of a year.

[hyteckit]

Originally Posted by Jawbone54 

Everyone's making WAYYYY too big of a deal out of this, which is why I created that poll. I wasn't trying to mock Steve's health; I was pointing out that every time he appears in public, people start predicting his imminent demise.

Steve is fine. Steve will be fine. Steve will probably never die.

Your poll was in bad taste and I agree with the moderator for locking it.