Report: Steve Jobs "was one real sick guy"
Friday's Wall Street Journal carries a report on the state of Steve Jobs' health that makes his condition last January — before he went on a six month medical leave — sound more desperate than Apple (AAPL) let on at the time.
"He was one real sick guy," an unnamed source told the Journal. "Fundamentally he was starving to death over a nine-month period. He couldn't digest protein. [But] he took corrective action."
According to this source — who is said to have seen Apple's CEO in recent weeks — Jobs' recovery "is coming along" and he should be able to return to work before the end of June, as scheduled.
The same source says that some Apple directors have been getting weekly updates on Jobs' health from his physician.
Jobs has come to Apple headquarters occasionally since his medical leave began, according to the Journal. Independently, the Italian website setteB.IT reported last week that several people spotted Jobs entering the main gate of the Apple Campus on May 27 to attend a meeting.
A few days earlier, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak told another Journal reporter that Jobs sounded "healthy, energetic" when he spoke to him by telephone.
The Journal's latest report comes four days before Apple's annual World Wide Developers Conference. The keynote at last year's WWDC — the last delivered by Jobs — was the first time he appeared in public looking dangerously thin. He skipped MacWorld this year, and his marketing vice president Phil Schiller is scheduled to deliver the keynote next week.
The Journal also reported on speculation that Jobs might make a surprise appearance during the presentation next Monday, but didn't reach any conclusion.
Apple has not returned a request for comment.
Anydody listen to his speech at Stamford University!
He is a Men!one of the greates!
I was praying for his recovery…god is good
@Jason Young
Uh, the very minimum condition for slavery to exist at Apple would be that working there is involuntary (in the kidnapped off the street and held prisoner sense of the word).
Last I heard, anyone is welcome to apply to work at Apple (or not), anyone who does work there is free to leave if they don't like it. Doesn't sound like slavery to me.
Is Steve Jobs abrasive? So I've heard. Would I want to work with him? Probably not.
Funny thing is, I used to work at Microsoft, and while I haven't met Bill Gates myself, I know people who've been to what they call billg briefings, and billg and Steve Jobs sound like they are *very* much alike. Steve is maybe worse, even. If the rumors are true, more like a cross between billg and steveb. But working at Apple still isn't slavery.
I guess Kim Il Jong is also developing great products for North Korea. Missiles, nukes, perfect fake US dollars, drugs. Scaring the heck out of the world and USA.
I heard from Apple's employees that the guy is a dictator. He routinely screams and shouts at employees at meetings, fires employees if they disagree. Nobody dares to express any opinion inside Apple. He may be a genius and given us good products. But appears that the products were developed under slavery. Modern day slavery is prevalent in Apple.
Steve Jobs health sounds like Kim Il Jong's health in North Korea. Give me a break this is USA. Apple and its numerous fans, no one in this country is indispensable. Apple get out of your North Korean style of operation.
Steve is a genius I hope we can understand this man! He has a lot to offer and we should listen more carefully to this… pls!
"there’s just no way that Jobs doesn’t make a big splash at WWDC.
The man’s theatrical streak is a mile wide."
@Evans,
Yes, but he'll do it in a way nobody is expecting it.
Remember, Steve loves to surprise people and he will again.
I'm thinking more of a screen appearance through iChat.
And therefore, we'll knows he's in shape and iChat runs on iPhone.
Glad Jobs will be back. But you business jerks make me sick with your cults of personality and your over-emphasis on CEOs. How about focusing on the real products, markets, and employment? Leave the Stalinism to another economic era please.
I,m extremely happy for Mr Jobs.I wish him over anything else good luck and we pray god for his health,welcome back Steve
"And one more thing"…and then Jobs steps out from behind the curtain in the name of Great Drama Cheese. Audience members in tears. Possibly live cameras. Articles like the Journal's are the set up.
Jobs is going to deliver WWDC keynote, duh. Or at least, he's going to come on stage to announce the "one more thing…" that they always have. There are too many coincidences: Snow Leopard would be released "about a year" from last June; Jobs is supposed to be returning to work at Apple sometime thing June; June is the month of WWDC; there's just no way that Jobs doesn't make a big splash at WWDC. The man's theatrical streak is a mile wide.
Sometimes you have to yell at employees, what's wrong with that? What I could never understand is Waz and Steve working together. That must have been really interesting. Waz just sat there in the corner being a genius and Steve coming up with ideas.
Remember, Steve came back and got Apple moving again after it was almost down the tube.
Best wishes Steve, hoping you win the battle! Looking forward to seeing you in January.