MacBlogz - One Stop Apple News » Steve Jobs

Apple CEO Steve Jobs On Track to Return Within A Few Weeks

Aviv — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 03:52:34 +0000

Recent reports from the Wall Street Journal (via MacRumors) confidently explain that Apple CEO Steve Jobs is on track to return to the company at the end of June.

After taking a six month medical leave, reports are starting to surface claiming that Steve Jobs is on track to make a full return to Apple within a few weeks, and that his lengthy recovery has been going well.

While Mr. Jobs has been on sick leave, some Apple directors have gotten weekly updates about his medical condition from the CEO’s physician, according to a person familiar with the matter. Mr. Jobs’s recovery “is coming along” and he is on schedule to return to work later this month, said this person, who has seen Mr. Jobs in recent weeks.

“He was one real sick guy,” added this person. “Fundamentally he was starving to death over a nine-month period. He couldn’t digest protein. [But] he took corrective action.”

Much of the buzz appears to be conjecture of the type that has swirled around Apple and Mr. Jobs for years. But two people who do business with Apple said senior Apple managers have told them the company is now trying to coordinate Mr. Jobs’s return with a product launch or public event.

What’s interesting is that the report explains that top Apple management is getting direct reports from Jobs’ physicians. Even though Apple seems to be shrouded in secrecy regarding products, internal information regarding the well-being of the company’s CEO is a different story. The fact that executives are receiving updates from Jobs’ doctors (at all) is a sign that most of the reports have been positive. If the updates were negative and Jobs were not making such a healthy recovery, I highly doubt the same management team would have access to said information.

Throughout the past six months, the media has exploited stories about Jobs and his health, often times combining the CEO’s name with the word “cancer” in headlines, simply looking for shameful attention. Aside from contributing to an already extremely volatile stock (AAPL), Apple was thrust into the spotlight with what seemed like a terrible situation. However, at Apple’s annual shareholder meeting in February, the company stood firm on Jobs’ return. Being only a couple of months into the six month leave of absence, Apple was only getting started showing the industry that they could deliver great products without Jobs being so heavily involved. After dipping to 52 week lows reminiscent of times before the iPhone, the stock is currently trading in the 140’s.

If and when Jobs makes an epic messiah-like return to the company this month, you can expect the industry to pay close attention to any and all of Apple’s announcements. The next few weeks will surely be some of the most exciting in recent months for Apple enthusiasts. We wish Jobs the best as always and continue to hope the best for him during this lengthy recovery.

[image via flickr]

Things Are Heating Up: Steve Jobs, iPhone and Healthy Communication

Aviv — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 17:01:50 +0000

Things haven’t really calmed down ever since Steve Jobs so elegantly announced that he was taking a six-month leave of absence. Recently, communication between Apple and its partners has been productive and the company is firing on all cylinders.

In regards to Steve Jobs and his return in June, there’s a few interesting pieces of information to be shared. With pretty close ties into the world of NBC, I personally know that at least one of the NBC Universal comedy shows that have recently mocked the Apple CEO, 30 Rock and Chuck, did it with underlying security (knowledge of the situation) that he was coming back in June and doing fine. Otherwise these parodies would not have been ok’d.

A report from the Wall Street Journal fleshed through Gizmodo explains that “Members of Apple’s board of directors are monitoring the situation directly, communicating regularly with Mr. Jobs’s physicians.” This seems absolutely normal and makes sense given such a long leave of absence. Of note, leaked photos of the next generation iPhone made the rounds back in the first half of February, and one can only assume that accelerated hardware will help build a solid foundation for iPhone 3.0.

The WSJ goes on to explain that Jobs has been extremely involved in Apple’s recent happenings around iPhone 3.0. “People privy to the company’s strategy say Apple is working on new iPhone models and a portable device that is smaller than its current laptop computers but bigger than the iPhone or iPod Touch.” This has been a long-standing Apple rumor, similar to that of the iPhone before the iPhone was officially unveiled. It’s been understood that Apple isn’t particularly interested in getting involved in the netbook game, no matter how lucrative others think it is… Enter the tablet.

The latest, and perhaps most reliable tidbit of information was posted by TechCrunch back in December. In regards to a “slightly larger iPod touch-like device,” – “TechCrunch explains that they’ve received the same or similar information from three independent sources close to apple.” – “…expect a large screen iPod touch device to be released in the Fall of ‘09, with a 7 or 9 inch screen. Prototypes have been seen and handled by one of our sources, and Apple is talking to OEMs in Asia now about mass production.”

It seems that things are heating up once again on the Apple front. We’re more than half way through Jobs’ scheduled absence, and June is right around the corner. Let’s hope these hints stay positive and we keep hearing about productive talks coming out of Cupertino.

Enjoy the videos below…

30 Rock

Chuck

Apple Stands Firm On CEO Steve Jobs’ Return In June

Aviv — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 23:56:32 +0000

Apple’s annual shareholder meeting was relatively quiet. Aside from the by-the-book motives of some parties who grilled Apple execs about Steve Jobs, no journalists or reporters were allowed to directly relay information to the press, and as usual Apple did not release a transcript.

Macworld notes that one of the first questions asked at Wednesday’s annual shareholder meeting was directly centered around Apple CEO Steve Jobs, his health and his return to Apple. Jobs is currently on a medical leave from Apple until June, and the last we heard was that the SEC was launching an official investigation into the situation.

Even though some sites are sensationalizing Wednesday’s shareholder meeting by saying that it was “dominated by politics”, it was not. This is standard affair and every year Apple’s board advises its shareholders to steer clear of these potentially fruitless affairs. Why these other websites would attempt to create a seemingly turbulent environment remains unknown. However, because of the unfortunate visibility shed, their reports may get echoed.

As we made available in Apple’s proxy report before the meeting, and outlined here, shareholders were voting on certain proposals that could potentially change or alter the way Apple handles some of its fiscal reports, and even shed light onto trade-secret partnerships. However, on rather known guidance from Apple’s board, shareholders voted against every single one of these proposals. As far as the business side of things during the meeting, they were standard affair.

“A shareholder asked whether Apple’s board of directors had kept investors in the dark about the status of Jobs’ health and inquired about a succession plan. Board member Arthur Levinson, who is also chairman and CEO of biotech firm Genentech, replied that the board disclaims information that it deems important and proper, and that it talks regularly about a succession plan.

Otherwise, the meeting served largely to have executives assure shareholders that the company was on the right track. Filling in for Jobs—and donning a Jobs-like pair of blue jeans and black (though collared, not turtleneck) shirt—chief operating officer Tim Cook cited strong Mac, iPod, and iPhone sales in the last year and hailed the App Store as “absolutely the envy of the industry.” He also reassured shareholders that he was “very confident of our product pipeline,” Jonathan Seff explains for Macworld.

Another question asking for clarification about Apple’s decision to pull out of Macworld was answered by Apple COO Tim Cook and chief financial officer Peter Oppenheimer. When asked whether Apple would ever reconsider the move, Cook explained that they have “very fond memories” of the Macworld Expo, however reiterated the company’s stance on utilizing their retail chain of 250 stores to create “many, many Macworlds each week.”

Notably, the audience sang Steve Jobs “Happy Birthday” in lieu of his 54th birthday on Tuesday, and tim Cook promised that Jobs would get the message.

Thanx to 9to5mac for the image

SEC Steve Jobs Health Investigation Underway, ‘Materiality’ the Root

Aviv — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 19:16:23 +0000

The Securities and Exchange Commission is officially investigating whether Apple and CEO Steve Jobs misled investors and shareholders by manipulating or withholding “material information” from the public.

As the Wall Street Journal explains, “This investigation exemplifies how the agency has run amok.” Reeling from low public confidence in the trade commission and SEC in general, especially after the Bernie Madoff scandal, this investigation leans on whether Steve Jobs’ private and confidential health information, should remain private.

Bloomberg initially reported that the SEC was prodding around the issue and was on the verge of launching a full blown investigation. It turns out the information was true as the SEC is now trying to determine whether Apple execs have kept “material” information from shareholders and investors. “…under federal securities laws, it is a serious felony — securities fraud — for corporate officials to disseminate false material information, or to fail to disclose true material information related to the company’s financial prospects,” the WSJ explains.

However, the actual definition of the term “material information” is at play here. Understandably, the term’s core intentions are to bring to light information that shareholders and investors need to know when making financial decisions about a certain company and its stock. Whether Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ personal health information is of “material” value, may remain up to the SEC to decide.

“The SEC’s investigation is the latest in a long history not only of incompetence, but of connivance with Department of Justice prosecutors. The absence of a comprehensive definition of “fraud” has enabled the SEC to harass, and the DOJ to prosecute, businessmen who engage in seemingly normal professional behavior. Such investigations and prosecutions — for “securities fraud” as well as the equally malleable “mail fraud” and “wire fraud” — have become the hallmark of prosecutorial juggernauts since the mid-1980s. The same technique, based upon an absence of clear definitions, is used against a vast array of people in other fields, from accountants to artists,” the Wall Street Journal explains.

As it stands the SEC will continue on with their investigation, and Apple will need to somehow prove that they did not withhold material information from investors and shareholders.

Read More about the latest surrounding Apple and CEO Steve Jobs’ health issues:
READ → – Apple CEO Steve Jobs Takes Leave of Absence Until June (Full Email)
READ → – Apple and CEO Steve Jobs Entangled in Endless Speculation
READ → – Steve Wozniak: Leave Steve Jobs Alone
READ → – Steve Wozniak Sheds Some Light On Steve Jobs’ Health Issues (Video)
READ → – Apple’s Health Disclosures About Steve Jobs Lead to SEC Review
READ → – Another Fake Steve Jobs Heart Attack Rumor Published Online
READ → – A Perfect Example of How Steve Jobs’ Health Issues Are Exploited

Hollywood’s Crippling Dependency on Steve Jobs

Dave — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 19:08:52 +0000

Given the instrumental role that the Apple CEO Steve Jobs has played in shaping the digital entertainment industry, his six month departure from Apple may pose both significant advantages and disadvantages for Hollywood.

Reuters regards him as being a powerful advocate of change in the overall distribution of media, in the face of losing ground to free online content. Jobs has been able to leverage the immense success of the iTunes store to keep a tight lid on the price of digital music, TV, and movies.

Some believe that with Jobs temporarily out of the picture, studio negotiations with Apple may become easier. An unnamed studio executive had expressed his feelings about this situation saying, “There may be some more room for advantageous deal-making between Apple and studios. Steve’s a control freak and tough negotiator, and Apple will lose a lot of bench strength, which may work to studios’ favor.”

While this type of optimism may hold elements of truth, others tend to believe differently. Many feel that Apple has a top notch team to take over negotiations and can still use the wild popularity of iTunes as a major bargaining chip, even with Jobs sidelined. USC business professor, Julia Plotts, remains under the impression that, “Hollywood’s always been Steve Jobs’ pet interest…He branched out into Hollywood and provided studios with a new mechanism to make money in the era of digital content delivery.” Adding, “I’m not sure what does to Apple’s foresight and ability in terms of negotiating with content providers and navigating Hollywood.”

While certainly no one can take away the cunning business practices that Steve Jobs has been known for, it is precisely these practices that have set up Apple to remain strong even when he is not around. By making iTunes what it is today, Jobs has successfully secured Apple’s vested interest in the digital entertainment industry for years to come. And lest we forget about Disney and Pixar.

A Perfect Example of How Steve Jobs’ Health Issues Are Exploited

Aviv — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 12:48:43 +0000

Since we first launched MacBlogz there there hasn’t been a shortage of Steve Jobs health concern stories. The latest however, sheds a bright light on how the media and our culture is exploiting the information, digging deeper into Jobs’ private life and ignoring his specific requests.

On nothing more than a drunken source, the Silicon Valley gossip site Valleywag reported that Apple CEO Steve Jobs was in the hospital undergoing a surgical procedure. “At a party in Silicon Valley last night, a Stanford staffer who had just come from the hospital told friends, including our source, about the “extra special care” being afforded their famous patient,” Valleywag explained. “The specific procedure Jobs was checked in for wasn’t relayed by the chatty Stanford employee.”

Luckily, this time every site in the galaxy didn’t pick up the shaky story, and it only made minor rounds before being debunked.

A while after the Valleywag story was published, two corroborating stories from Silicon Alley Insider and TechCrunch both explained that Steve Jobs was in fact not undergoing surgery. “Our own source, who is significantly more believable than some person at some party, says Jobs is in the office today in meetings and most definitely not undergoing surgery,” TechCrunch explained. In response to the original story, SAI claimed, “A Valley source tells us this is wrong. “He was in Apple meetings today, as a matter of fact. Valleywag is 100 percent wrong.”

How or why would Valleywag publish such a story? And why would other reputable sites pick up the story? We can’t assume it’s being done with ill intentions, or with any particular reason to harm the stock price. But a certain level of responsibility is assumed once a level of public visibility is reached. It is known that a simple call to any hospital won’t fetch any confidential information, and if the person being cared for is Steve Jobs, expect an extra level of secrecy at the very least.

Over the past few weeks, reports regarding Jobs’ health have grown heated. After pulling out the Macworld Expo, then two letters directly from Apple (here and here), the media still wasn’t done. Most recently, Wired’s “Image Viewer” website was subject to some bogus Steve Jobs heart attack rumors. And that’s not the first time either. Back in early October 2008, the SEC launched an investigation into a false Steve Jobs heart attack rumor that made the stock take a nasty dive.

Who or what benefited from any of these reports? Was anything learned? Nothing aside from curiosity and pure paparazzi like writing (on both sides), was exchanged. In regards to the most recent stories, one side claims a source explaining that Jobs is undergoing surgery, while the other claims he’s in the office. How this holds relevance to anything pertaining to Apple as a company is still up in the air.

There’s no denying that it seems like Apple isn’t being entirely forth coming with the information regarding Jobs’ health. But at a certain point, prying into the man’s private life and reporting about a rumored surgery becomes a tad questionable. Demanding a public appearance is equally unnecessary, and as Jobs has personally asked the media to do, he should be left alone and given room to focus on recovering. When the time is right, Apple will share the information. Until then, if you’re a shareholder or an investor, nobody is holding a gun to your head forcing you to keep the stock. If you see Apple’s core business models and believe that the company is a worthy competitor in the marketplace, then your decisions should be easy. If you pray that Jobs will be around forever to unveil products at events, hoping that another blockbuster device will boost the price back up to $200, don’t hold your breath.

Another Fake Steve Jobs Heart Attack Rumor Published Online

Aviv — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 22:24:02 +0000

Wired.com’s open image viewer had been used today in another disgraceful attempt to spread false rumors about Apple CEO Steve Jobs going into cardiac arrest.

Apparently, even amidst all of the incredibly heated reports regarding Jobs’ health, some people thought it would be amusing to post more fake rumors about the CEO going into cardiac arrest. As you can see from the screenshot below, Wired’s image viewer allows pretty much anybody to post anything online.

As we learned with iReport the first time a fake Steve Jobs heart attack story was published, user generated content (when not even slightly moderated) can lead to manipulated and unethical results. Not to mention potential lawsuits and investigations by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Image via Gizmodo of Wired’s “Image Viewer”

Reports regarding Steve Jobs’ health have been incredibly heated over the last few weeks. First Apple announced they were pulling out of Macworld, then there was this letter directly from Jobs, then this letter from Jobs. In a nutshell, this has left Apple and Steve Jobs entangled in endless speculation. Every analyst around has weighed in with their own “analysis” regarding the situation, most notably Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak.

All of the ongoing reports, letters and seemingly smudged information has adversely sprung the SEC into action, probing Apple about “who knew what, and when they knew it” about Jobs’ health conditions.

The bottom line? LeaveSteveJobsAlone.com should sum it up pretty nicely.

Apple’s Health Disclosures About Steve Jobs Lead to SEC Review

Aviv — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 15:48:43 +0000

Bloomberg is reporting that “a person familiar with the matter” says the SEC is reviewing the way Apple handled and released information about CEO Steve Jobs’ health.

Bloomberg was the site that accidentally published Steve Jobs’ obituary back in late August. In addition to that mishap, some of Bloomberg’s coverage regarding Steve Jobs’ health has been questionable at best. Citing irrelevant analysts in stories pertaining to Apple and Steve Jobs has seemingly become regular practice for them.

“The Securities and Exchange Commission’s review doesn’t mean investigators have seen evidence of wrongdoing, the person said, declining to be identified because the inquiry isn’t public.”

Bloomberg also claims that Jobs may be getting a liver transplant, however they are the only ones to release such claims citing doctors who have not treated or worked with Jobs at all.

As a reminder, Apple will be releasing Quarter 1 Financial Results Wednesday afternoon at 2:00pm PT/5:00pm ET.

LeaveSteveJobsAlone.com and the Auto-Health-Story Generator

Aviv — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 23:34:59 +0000

Two new finds have taken the limelight today amidst all of the ongoing health related discussion concerning Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ health.

The first site which is cleverly titled LeaveSteveJobsAlone.com, is phrased as a letter directly from Apple CEO Steve Jobs to the crazed journalists tracking his every move. In a nutshell… The website reads:

This goes out to all you “journalists” tracking my health with your daily updates.

FUCK OFF,
Leave me the fuck alone
and let me get better.

-Steve

The second shimmering nugget of news happens to be this clever Steve Jobs news story generator done by the folks over at MacJournals.com, (thanx to CultofMac for pointing us to this one). In case you’re not sure what to write about Apple CEO Steve Jobs, or his health issues, simply follow this template.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs May Have ______

Doctors familiar with medicine say that Apple CEO Steve Jobs, who began a six-month medical leave of absence this week, may be suffering from ______.

If true, the condition is far more serious than Apple has previously let on. It could sideline the “World’s Most Important” CEO for longer than he has indicated, or keep him from returning to the Apple helm at all.

Jobs was treated for pancreatic cancer in 2004, and told investors that he had made a full recovery. Nonetheless, his public appearances during 2008 made it clear Jobs was rapidly losing weight, spurring fears that his cancer had returned.

A letter Apple released on January 5 said that Jobs was suffering from a “hormone imbalance. Eight days later, the CEO said his problems were “more complex” and that he would leave the company until June to have them treated, sparking more speculation that Jobs is fatally ill.

”Given his history with pancreatic cancer, it’s impossible to rule out ______,” said Dr. ____, [insert doctor’s title here]. “Cancer can have side effects throughout the body, including in the ______ system. The information he’s provided is just too vague. Only his doctors know for sure.”

The painful surgery Jobs reportedly underwent in 2004 could also have side effects, according to Dr. ______, [insert second doctor’s title here]. “While these procedures are generally safe and well-understood, there’s always the possibility that the body will eventually have problems with such a radical change to the system. If he’s not producing the right hormones [or “enzymes” or “proteins”], it could put stress on the ______ and eventually lead to weight loss and, if not corrected, death.”

While Apple has a deep bench of talent to run the company in his absence, investors and analysts alike speculate that without Jobs at the helm, the company will [eventually/rapidly] decline into the same moribund state it was in before Jobs returned to the CEO’s seat in 1997. Under his watch, Apple released mega-hit products like the iMac, the iPod, and the iPhone, all of which Jobs personally invented while refusing to take credit.

”His long-term absence puts the company’s future in jeopardy,” said ______, an analyst for [insert name of analyst’s Wall Street firm]. “Apple’s in a great position now, and Steve will be involved in major decisions while on medical leave, but if he stays gone longer than six months, or doesn’t come back at all, it’s possible that Apple will again fade into irrelevance. The company really needs a leader that the media can fixate on, because they’ve proven they won’t pay attention to the products without a personality behind them.” [You might have to cut that last sentence for “space” reasons, being a media person yourself who knows that sometimes good quotes have to be cut.]

Jobs, an unnecessarily private man, refused to comment for this story or to release full medical records at our request.

Steve Wozniak: Leave Steve Jobs Alone

Aviv — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 20:40:15 +0000

In response to all of the ongoing speculation regarding Apple, and CEO Steve Jobs’ health, co-founder Steve Wozniak has expressed how he feels about the entire situation.

Moments ago on CNBC, Steve Wozniak reacted to the recent information released from Apple CEO Steve Jobs, in which Jobs stated he was taking a 6 month medical leave of absence due to complex health reasons.

“I disagree with the press getting into his private life. Let him communicate the way he wants to communicate to the public…. Leave him alone,” Wozniak expressed on CNBC.

Wozniak expresses entirely legitimate concerns in regards to the media’s prying eyes in trying to expose any information they can about Jobs’ health. He reiterates that Jobs’ health is his concern, and that how he communicates his matters with “close friends and family is his decision.”

Additionally, Wozniak continued to say that he was “glad” that Jobs is taking this leave of absence to focus on his health. We definitely agree. If Jobs’ health needs the attention, Apple as a company needs to take a back seat. One of the purely negative scenarios this creates is a feeding frenzy for the media.

Over the next 6 months, the uncertainty that Apple and Jobs’ “letters” have created is enough to generate news for some time to come, which is one of the unfortunate parts to this. As time goes by, speculation will grow even more heated, and as June nears, unless we get an official statement or two from Apple, expect everything to ramp up once again. As Wozniak made clear in his interview, leaving Steve Jobs alone to let him focus on his health is the best route to take.