[Mrjinglesusa]

A hormone imbalance, confirmed by blood tests.

http://money.cnn.com/2009/01/05/news...ion=2009010509

[SpaceMonkey]

Well, that's a relief.

[Dakar V]

Let's see what this does to the stock.

[osiris]

That is a relief.

Still no excuse to skip Macworld imo.

[Andy8]

Originally Posted by osiris 

Still no excuse to skip Macworld imo.

Maybe he will be the "One more thing" and appear in the audience

[Zeeb]

Originally Posted by osiris 

That is a relief.

Still no excuse to skip Macworld imo.

Why? He's sick and he needs to get well--why is that no excuse?

[Todd Madson]

Sounds like he wants to spend time with his family and that's a good thing.

Face it, if you're trying to recover after being ill doing a highly public thing like Macworld
takes huges amounts of mental and physical energy and when you'll ill it can really
be detrimental.

Plus, unless he's introducing the "Mac Universe, 99 gig of ram, pocket, explosion"
there's no point. If it's an expected Mac Mini update Phil can take care of it.

[-Q-]

Ignoring the business reasons for not attending, losing that much of your body weight and currently undergoing treatment for it is a perfectly fine excuse for not attending. I can't imagine his recovery would be aided by the long hours of preparation he'd be experiencing if he was doing the keynote. And his getting better is far more important to Apple than his appearing in the keynote.

Love the last line of his letter. "And that's all I have to say about that." /forestgump

[Eug]

Originally Posted by SpaceMonkey 

Well, that's a relief.

The market seems to agree with you, but his letter is vague enough that we really don't know what it means.

Anyways, I hope Phil comes through. He's never really impressed me as a speaker. Better than Sony's guy though.

[Person Man]

Originally Posted by Eug 

The market seems to agree with you, but his letter is vague enough that we really don't know what it means.

Well, we know that he and Apple would be in a world of hurt if he went on record saying that he's fine if he really isn't. He really didn't have to disclose this, despite what others may think. In fact, his letter makes it clear that he really didn't want to, but he obviously felt that he had to say something.

In fact, the way the letter makes it sound, they just found out what the problem is. It would have made things much worse if he had come out and said "There's something wrong but the doctors don't know what it is yet." Had he done that, everyone would have assumed the worst (as they did in this case). Damned if he does, damned if he doesn't.

I still hope Gizmodo gets nailed to the wall for what they wrote last week.

[Eug]

In fact, the way the letter makes it sound, they just found out what the problem is.

Yeah, it sounds like it, but we don't actually know... which is my point. A 'hormonal imbalance' is quite a vague statement in this context... and the possibilities even include the outside chance that it could be a recurrence of his tumour, as some neuroendocrine tumours of the pancreas secrete hormones.

I'm not trying to say he's got cancer again. I'm just pointing out that his statement is too vague. I mean if he's gonna say something, he may as well be clearer about it.

[osiris]

Originally Posted by Zeeb 

Why? He's sick and he needs to get well--why is that no excuse?

Apple's last MacWorld without Steve?

btw I should've included a winky to soften my statement.

[osiris]

Originally Posted by Andy8 

Maybe he will be the "One more thing" and appear in the audience

That's what I'm banking on.

[starman]

Originally Posted by Person Man 

I still hope Gizmodo gets nailed to the wall for what they wrote last week.

I'm betting he begrudgingly did so because it was affecting the stock price.

And I, too, hope. I've become less impressed with Gizmodo since the remote control incident.

[voodoo]

I am pleased so see Steve isn't leaving the valley (of tears) just yet

[Person Man]

Originally Posted by Eug 

Yeah, it sounds like it, but we don't actually know... which is my point. A 'hormonal imbalance' is quite a vague statement in this context... and the possibilities even include the outside chance that it could be a recurrence of his tumour, as some neuroendocrine tumours of the pancreas secrete hormones.

I'm not trying to say he's got cancer again. I'm just pointing out that his statement is too vague. I mean if he's gonna say something, he may as well be clearer about it.

While you're right about neuroendocrine tumors, I'm sure he would have said something if it were related to the cancer. And I doubt that the treatment for that would be as simple as Jobs suggests it to be.

That being said, Jobs really didn't have to say anything. We also know that he is a man who values his privacy, so if he's going to say anything it's going to be the absolute minimum necessary.

And besides, even if Jobs were specific, and said "I have Condition X and we're doing treatment Z," would that really satisfy people? Probably not (though it would probably satisfy you and me), because someone would say, "Hey, why isn't Jobs doing treatment A? That's CLEARLY the better option..." and someone else would dig up info on how "Condition X can lead to death in 0.5% of people diagnosed with it" and the whole media circus begins anew.

[Person Man]

Originally Posted by starman 

And I, too, hope. I've become less impressed with Gizmodo since the remote control incident.

At the very least Gizmodo will never again be granted a press pass to Apple's media events. Ever.

[Stogieman]

Originally Posted by starman 

And I, too, hope. I've become less impressed with Gizmodo since the remote control incident.

What's this remote control incident you speak of?

[Monique]

It is very sad that Apple will loose Jobs. Hopefully the company will still grow.

It is always a lot worst than the CEO of a company will let us know.

[starman]

Originally Posted by Stogieman 

What's this remote control incident you speak of?

Reps from Gizmodo had a remote control that turned off lots of TVs at CES last year. It was a huge deal because 1) they were disruptive and 2) it was one of the few times bloggers were given press access, so Gizmodo pretty much screwed the pooch for all bloggers.

http://gizmodo.com/343348/confession...odo-did-at-ces

And read this:

http://www.gearlog.com/2008/01/ces_b...ter_for_tv.php

[Person Man]

Originally Posted by Monique 

It is very sad that Apple will loose Jobs. Hopefully the company will still grow.

It is always a lot worst than the CEO of a company will let us know.

What? Did you actually read the press release? Jobs said he plans on being at Apple for a long time to come.

[mduell]

AAPL up four and a half... amazing what a little honesty will get you.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by mduell 

AAPL up four and a half... amazing what a little honesty will get you.

Pfff, I don't think this has anything to do with it.

See, recently, this is how it works: a stock goes up and down randomly.
The media looks for reasons that could explain what's going on, and then present it as facts.
Was that really what was moving the stock ? Most likely not. There are so many reasons people buy and sell, most obvious explanations are nothing but trying to put a label on it.

-t

[scottiB]

Originally Posted by Person Man 

...And besides, even if Jobs were specific, and said "I have Condition X and we're doing treatment Z," would that really satisfy people? Probably not (though it would probably satisfy you and me), because someone would say, "Hey, why isn't Jobs doing treatment A? That's CLEARLY the better option..." and someone else would dig up info on how "Condition X can lead to death in 0.5% of people diagnosed with it" and the whole media circus begins anew.

Yeah, Jobs and Apple's BoD are really in a bind. Unless he submits his health records monthly for review (or at least starts dropping by The View), it seems that any anonymous tip can send keyboards wagging.

Ballmer should get such scrutiny because he really needs to lay off the fatty foods.

[olePigeon]

Originally Posted by Eug 

The market seems to agree with you, but his letter is vague enough that we really don't know what it means.

Anyways, I hope Phil comes through. He's never really impressed me as a speaker. Better than Sony's guy though.

To be fair, English isn't his first language. I'd also take Sony's guy over Microsoft's girl. She's freakin' horrible.

[Jawbone54]

Who does Roz Ho work for again?

On topic: I'm glad to hear that it's something that can likely be rectified. My only deleted threat (the only time I've ever been modded, period, I believe) was the Steve Jobs Death Thread, ruled to be in bad taste. I didn't really mean it that way; I thought the chances of him actually dying were miniscule at best. The events and news hoopla afterwards made me realize it could actually be serious.

I hope he puts on about 25+ by the end of 2009. Just putting on some weight would take a lot of worry off of Mac fanboys everywhere.

[Todd Madson]

Or we'd see Jobs riding a bike at 25 mph training with Lance Armstrong or something.

Just to have people go "huh? I thought he was not feeling the greatest?"

[The Godfather]

I, for one, am glad that he chose health over career in a critical stage of his life. He's made the wise choice.

I wonder whether he'll go philantropist when he retires from Apple.

[Eug]

Steve Jobs’s Letter Does Little to Clear Up Health Mystery - US News and World Report

But his statement is anything but simple and straightforward, physicians who aren’t treating Jobs say. Robert Lustig, a neuroendocrinologist at the University of CaliforniaSan Francisco, points out that the key elements in his statement—the hormone imbalance, protein “robbing,” and simple remedy for what Jobs calls a nutritional problem—do not clearly point to a single diagnosis. “These three medical threads don’t add up to a strong cable,” Lustig says. That means the problem could be related to Jobs's bout with pancreatic cancer . . . or it might be a completely separate health issue. “You cannot make a diagnosis” from the letter, Lustig says.

“Hormone imbalance” is vague, and the phrase suggests some kind of endocrine disorder. These can be insidious and tough to diagnose, says Lustig, and often produce vague symptoms, including fatigue and weight loss. Jobs may have an endocrine disorder that is totally unrelated to his previous bout with cancer. Or the problem may be an aftereffect of his surgery; people who have a substantial proportion of their pancreas removed may later develop diabetes, says James Yao, deputy department chair of gastrointestinal medical oncology at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

But the weight loss might also signal a recurrence or a new tumor, Yao says. Islet cell tumors—which can be treated—are known to produce hormones that mimic diabetes or cause digestive problems. Those tumors can cause cachexia, the wasting syndrome seen in cancer patients, says Jeffrey Mechanick, an endocrinologist at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York and chair of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists’ nutrition committee. Technically, that might be considered a nutritional problem.

[scottiB]

Steve should simply resign. Obviously, speculation will never end unless one of two things happen: he's dead and no longer at Apple or alive and no longer at Apple. Even when he makes a full recovery, all it takes is another Gizmodo post of some "insider" knowledge that "...eventhough he looked relatively healthy at WWDC, our source is reporting that Jobs has been having seizures and stronger delusions of grandeur than usual..." and AAPL drops, blogs buzz, and forums foam.

Other than opening his medical records there is no way to sate the speculation. He can't both have his privacy and be CEO, just as curious investors can't both invade his privacy and feel comfortable in their investment.

Steve's not going to be there forever, and Steve can make forever start now.

[Eug]

This was posted at TheGlobeAndMail.com.

[Person Man]

Originally Posted by Eug 

But his statement is anything but simple and straightforward, physicians who aren’t treating Jobs say. Robert Lustig, a neuroendocrinologist at the University of CaliforniaSan Francisco, points out that the key elements in his statement—the hormone imbalance, protein “robbing,” and simple remedy for what Jobs calls a nutritional problem—do not clearly point to a single diagnosis. “These three medical threads don’t add up to a strong cable,” Lustig says. That means the problem could be related to Jobs's bout with pancreatic cancer . . . or it might be a completely separate health issue. “You cannot make a diagnosis” from the letter, Lustig says.

“Hormone imbalance” is vague, and the phrase suggests some kind of endocrine disorder. These can be insidious and tough to diagnose, says Lustig, and often produce vague symptoms, including fatigue and weight loss. Jobs may have an endocrine disorder that is totally unrelated to his previous bout with cancer. Or the problem may be an aftereffect of his surgery; people who have a substantial proportion of their pancreas removed may later develop diabetes, says James Yao, deputy department chair of gastrointestinal medical oncology at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

But the weight loss might also signal a recurrence or a new tumor, Yao says. Islet cell tumors—which can be treated—are known to produce hormones that mimic diabetes or cause digestive problems. Those tumors can cause cachexia, the wasting syndrome seen in cancer patients, says Jeffrey Mechanick, an endocrinologist at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York and chair of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists’ nutrition committee. Technically, that might be considered a nutritional problem.

Um, I think that's the point. I don't really think Jobs wants to give the full diagnosis. He doesn't want anyone to be able to pin it down. He was intentionally vague.

And I support him in his efforts to maintain his privacy. I think, going forward, we will see less of Jobs in public as Apple tries to divorce itself from the notion that "Apple is teh d00m3d if Steve Jobs is gone. Oh noes!!!111" It took 10 years to create that perception, and it's going to take quite a few years to undo it. This is the right time to do so.

[Eug]

Originally Posted by Person Man 

Um, I think that's the point. I don't really think Jobs wants to give the full diagnosis. He doesn't want anyone to be able to pin it down. He was intentionally vague.

Yes it was very vague, which was my original point.

The markets responded negatively to unsubstantiated rumours. Now the market has responded positively to a Jobs' statement that doesn't really say anything.

[SpaceMonkey]

Originally Posted by Eug 

Yes it was very vague, which was my original point.

The markets responded negatively to unsubstantiated rumours. Now the market has responded positively to a Jobs' statement that doesn't really say anything.

Jobs pretty clearly said that he isn't dying and that he can continue to work for the foreseeable future. That should be good enough for investors.

[Dakar V]

He should start marketing himself as the World's Most Lightweight CEO.

[SpaceMonkey]

MacBook Air: Now thinner than Steve Jobs!

[andi*pandi]

he needz a cheezburger.