I have seen some pundits comment that this observation of Jobs' appearance is trite. I couldn't disagree more.

Whether it is based in reality or not, Jobs has set himself up to be "the vision guy" at Apple. He needs to start personally grooming potential replacements now or potentially Apple could suffer the same consequences of Apple under Sculley or Amelio, two CEOs who had no vision and no understanding of what Apple is or what they do.

Whether you are a member of the cult of Apple or not, you cannot deny the impact Jobs has had on this company or the industry. He's a egomaniacal control freak, but he's also damn good at what he does.

My guess is if he was *truly* sick then he would not have appeared on stage. There is more than likely no problem here. But maybe Jobs should quit dining with his liberal vegan buddies and start eating steak and potatoes, fatten up his body the same way he has his wallet. :)

Apple is more than just one person and even if Steve Jobs were ill I believe he would apply the same type of visionary thinking in regard to grooming a successor that he has applied to resurrecting the company. Apple is no longer a single man but it a sum of its parts.

Bill Gates seems to be reasonably healthy and rubs shoulders with some of the most astute investors/business titans in the world and how has Microsoft=value trap performed lately?

I wonder if John Scully would be available to run Microsoft.

Beltway Greg

Is he dating Kathy Griffin? Enough said/

The guy is a genious as we all agree, and several years ago he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, which is very aggressive with a high mortality rate. He refused surgery and chemo, and he is alive and well. The fact that he looks somewhat thinner is probably due to his regimen, which is what is keeping him alive. His speech is also a bit different lately. Who knows how he really is, but he knows more about medicine it seems than the docotrs even, a true genius. He is the reason why he is still alive. Hopefully he is fully healed of his cancer and can stay at the helm.

I'm surprised no one has thought to ask a physician if Jobs' weight loss couldn't easily be a complication brought on by the combination of his pancreatic surgery and a recent illness (regardless of cause).

Jobs had the Whipple procedure. Weight loss after the surgery is common. Keeping weight on after the surgery is also common.

Reference the March 5, 2008 CNN/Money article by Peter Elkind. Below is the relevant graph.

The surgery Jobs faced, known as the "Whipple procedure," is brutal and complex. It lasts six hours or more and involves removing parts of the pancreas, bile duct, and intestines, then reconstructing the digestive tract. But it's relatively safe: Mortality from the surgery is less than 5% at specialized medical centers with surgeons who have performed it many times. "

Reference the University of Southern California, Department of Surgery, Center for Pancreatic and Biliary Diseases

"Some of the long-term consequences of the Whipple operation include the following:

* Mal-absorption: The pancreas produces enzymes required for digestion of food. In some patients removal of part of the pancreas during the Whipple operation can lead to a diminished production of these enzymes. Patients complain of bulky diarrhea type of stool that is very oily. Long-term treatment with oral pancreatic enzyme supplementation usually provides relief from this problem.

* Alteration in diet: After the Whipple operation we generally recommend that the patients ingest smaller meals and snack between meals to allow better absorption of the food and to minimize symptoms of feeling of being bloated or getting too full.

* Loss of weight: It is common for patients to lose up to 5 to 10% of their body weight compared to their weight prior to their illness. The weight loss usually stabilizes very rapidly and most patients after a small amount of initial weight loss are able to maintain their weight and do well.

Hopefully, it is the progressive relative malabsorption that is causing the very obvious weight loss. He certainly has lost a lot of upper body muscle mass compared to 3 years ago and I noticed that he did not bare his forearms this time. He would put a lot of minds at rest if he addressed this one head on, as I see Apple shares continuing to fall. The antibiotic story is not that likely unless it was one that gave him horrific diarrhea for a week or so. There are many plausible, non-catastrophic reasons for Mr Job's weight loss but he needs to be honest about it because, unfortunately, he is not just ANY CEO.

Read Jim Goldman's article in CNBC's Tech Check. He actually interviewed SJ and talked to Katie Cotton and shows a true Journalistic approach and reminds us that if they are lying about the "bug" they go to jail and after being strip searched by the SEC recently, it's highly doubtful that anything is amiss.

http://www.cnbc.com//id/25096807?__source=yahoo%7Cheadline%7Cquote%7Ctext%7C&par=yahoo