News Room Contributor Posts: 7945 Joined: 12 Nov 2002 | Steve Jobs Admits To Serious Illness
The health of Apple CEO Steve Jobs is back in the headlines as the company co-founder admitted that he is continuing to struggle with a serious illness that plagued him throughout 2008.
Jobs was diagnosed with a form of pancreatic cancer in 2004, but even after the disease was successfully treated his physical appearance and performances at subsequent events led to much speculation about the actual state of his health. In mid-2008, some Apple shareholders expressed frustration over Jobs' reticence to discuss his condition, due to the fact that Apple's fortunes fluctuated very much in line with Jobs'. Later in the year, Jobs said that while his health issues were serious, he was not suffering from a recurrence of cancer.
But in mid-December Apple announced that the keynote address at the 2009 Macworld Conference would be delivered by Vice President of Marketing Philip Schiller and not Jobs, the first time in a decade that Jobs hasn't given the address himself. In conjunction with his gaunt condition at the 2008 Worldwide Developers Conference in July, that predictably launched a new round of questions about his well-being.
In response, Jobs has issued a statement saying a "hormone imbalance" caused his weight to drop in 2008, and that while he is receiving treatment for the problem it will be several months before he is back to normal. "The remedy for this nutritional problem is relatively simple and straightforward, and I've already begun treatment," he said. "But, just like I didn't lose this much weight and body mass in a week or a month, my doctors expect it will take me until late this Spring to regain it."
Confirming that he will remain at the head of Apple, Jobs continued, "I have given more than my all to Apple for the past 11 years now. I will be the first one to step up and tell our Board of Directors if I can no longer continue to fulfill my duties as Apple's CEO. I hope the Apple community will support me in my recovery and know that I will always put what is best for Apple first. So now I've said more than I wanted to say, and all that I am going to say, about this."
Funny Footnote Time: A minor furor erupted in August 2008 after Bloomberg mistakenly published Jobs' obituary. The report of his death was incomplete and obviously an error, but his apparently frail health at the time it was printed led to raised eyebrows and frantic Googling until it was retracted. Jobs himself did not comment on the matter, leaving unimaginative reporters with little option but to dredge up that tired old saw about Samuel Clemens.
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Gone Gonzo Posts: 1615 Joined: 16 Jan 2008 | Here's hoping he makes a full recovery. The Mac vs PC arguments wouldn't be half as fun if it's marred by death. |
Gone Gonzo Posts: 1667 Joined: 27 Dec 2008 | Singing Gremlin:
Here's hoping he makes a full recovery. The Mac vs PC arguments wouldn't be half as fun if it's marred by death.
Good way of saying it |
Gone Gonzo Posts: 1766 Joined: 2 Jul 2008 | |
Gone Gonzo Posts: 4094 Joined: 6 Sep 2008 | On the one hand, I respect human life and would never wish harm or illness on another decent living being. I wish him all the best and swift recovery.
On the other, he DOES sell overpriced Apple product... |
Gone Gonzo Posts: 1169 Joined: 13 Nov 2007 | Yikes. When they printed a fake obituary the stock plummeted even though it turned out to be a hoax. What will happen now? Granted, he seems to be better, but cancer has a bad rep even after it does get treated, and there's bound to be paranoid people who think "If he covered it up then, what if he's covering up something else now?" |
Gone Gonzo Posts: 1487 Joined: 29 Jun 2008 | Ouch...that sucks.
Ugh...please get better. Never bought a Mac, but he needs to stay. The Mac world would go insane if he went.
Singing Gremlin:
Here's hoping he makes a full recovery. The Mac vs PC arguments wouldn't be half as fun if it's marred by death.
Yeah. What you said. |
Gone Gonzo Posts: 1074 Joined: 26 Apr 2008 | An Apple a day keeps the doctor away...
I never had any idea he was sick. Despite my distaste for the Mac and iPod range, it's a shame that he's got cancer. |
Gone Gonzo Posts: 2850 Joined: 14 Jun 2008 | One of the first things you learn in the Oncology rotation is the pancreatic cancers sucks. I would be surprised if he was to come out of this alive. Although the fact he has lasted four years is good. |
Beat Writer Posts: 194 Joined: 11 Apr 2008 | Serves the bastard right for stealing for xerox!
Wait... that was Bill... BUT STEVE STOLE FROM BILL!!!
Feel bad for the man... but Christ...
Thanks for shoving annoying ipod commercials down my throat, and your newfangled manila envelope computers...
Damn... first it was Garry... now Steve... WHY DIDN'T YOU GIVE BILL CANCER!?!?!
Steve didn't partner with Seinfeld...
Joking aside, I hope he recovers.
But wouldn't it be ironic if a mac caused it. :P |
Pulitzer Laureate Posts: 731 Joined: 12 Dec 2007 | I would have laughed if it was a virus, because Macs aren't supposed to get viruses.
On the serious side, this is bad news and I hope he recovers. Microsoft need somebody to prevent them from taking a stranglehold of everything. |
Infamous Scribbler Posts: 549 Joined: 3 Jan 2009 | He is a fantastic public speaker. I hope he's able to still deliver the keynotes in the future. Wish him all the best.
I don't like Macs but you have to respect that kind of commitment, tenacity and fantastic branding he has shown throughout his residency - there's a reason why they brought him back after the board had booted him. |
Steve Jobs Admits To Serious Illness
The health of Apple CEO Steve Jobs is back in the headlines as the company co-founder admitted that he is continuing to struggle with a serious illness that plagued him throughout 2008.
Jobs was diagnosed with a form of pancreatic cancer in 2004, but even after the disease was successfully treated his physical appearance and performances at subsequent events led to much speculation about the actual state of his health. In mid-2008, some Apple shareholders expressed frustration over Jobs' reticence to discuss his condition, due to the fact that Apple's fortunes fluctuated very much in line with Jobs'. Later in the year, Jobs said that while his health issues were serious, he was not suffering from a recurrence of cancer.
But in mid-December Apple announced that the keynote address at the 2009 Macworld Conference would be delivered by Vice President of Marketing Philip Schiller and not Jobs, the first time in a decade that Jobs hasn't given the address himself. In conjunction with his gaunt condition at the 2008 Worldwide Developers Conference in July, that predictably launched a new round of questions about his well-being.
In response, Jobs has issued a statement saying a "hormone imbalance" caused his weight to drop in 2008, and that while he is receiving treatment for the problem it will be several months before he is back to normal. "The remedy for this nutritional problem is relatively simple and straightforward, and I've already begun treatment," he said. "But, just like I didn't lose this much weight and body mass in a week or a month, my doctors expect it will take me until late this Spring to regain it."
Confirming that he will remain at the head of Apple, Jobs continued, "I have given more than my all to Apple for the past 11 years now. I will be the first one to step up and tell our Board of Directors if I can no longer continue to fulfill my duties as Apple's CEO. I hope the Apple community will support me in my recovery and know that I will always put what is best for Apple first. So now I've said more than I wanted to say, and all that I am going to say, about this."
Funny Footnote Time: A minor furor erupted in August 2008 after Bloomberg mistakenly published Jobs' obituary. The report of his death was incomplete and obviously an error, but his apparently frail health at the time it was printed led to raised eyebrows and frantic Googling until it was retracted. Jobs himself did not comment on the matter, leaving unimaginative reporters with little option but to dredge up that tired old saw about Samuel Clemens.
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