Shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) have jumped after the New York Times reported that Chief Executive Steve Jobs has told associates that he is cancer free.

Concern about Jobs' health have kept Apple's shares depressed even as it faces soaring demand for the just released iPhone 3G. The company's reluctance to discuss the CEO's health during the recent earnings conference call only added to the speculation.

That's why the Times' report saying "in recent weeks, Mr. Jobs has reassured several people that he is doing well and that four years after a successful operation to treat a rare form of pancreatic cancer, he is cancer free" is so curious. Why didn't the company just say that when it released earnings? The question was bound to come up given how awful Jobs has looked during recent public appearances.

Of course, Apple's paranoia is legendary. It guards its secrets even more zealously than the CIA. Jobs decided that his health is no one's business even though as a CEO of a public company it is of material interest to shareholders. But the matter is still not closed entirely.

"People who are close to Mr. Jobs say that he had a surgical procedure this year to address a problem that was contributing to a loss of weight," the paper said, not offering any specifics. Investors concern is understandable since according to a patient group, 75% of all pancreatic cancer patients die within the first year of diagnosis.

Jobs has defied the odds. Let's hope that actor Patrick Swayze does as well.

Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) is recently down $17.19 to $149.10 in pre-open trading.

AAPL expects Q4 EPS of $1.00 versus consensus of $1.24.

Deutsche Bank says: "Regarding Steve's health, mgmt said 'he has no plans to leave Apple and his health is a private matter'. While the topic is delicate, we believe the absence of a straightforward denial of health issues will increase speculation of worst case scenario."

AAPL August option implied volatility of 56 is above its 26-week average of 49 according to Track Data, suggesting larger price movement.

Option Update is provided by Stock Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com

The New York Post reports that concerns remain over Apple, Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) CEO Steve Jobs health after he appeared thin at recent developers conferences. This is making investors nervous since it's not likely that anyone can do as good a job as Apple CEO. And Apple's board may have a duty to report on Jobs' health if he can't perform his duties.

I became familiar with this legal requirement two years ago when questions were raised to me about the health of Lazard Ltd. (NYSE: LAZ) CEO, Bruce Wasserstein. The basic requirement for a board is unclear. As I wrote: "it appears that there are two conflicting points of view on the topic. On the one hand, the illness of the CEO -- particularly one as highly regarded as Wasserstein -- is material information under Regulation Fair Disclosure (FD) that could cause an investor to sell if it was disclosed. On the other hand, laws such as The Health Insurance Portability Act (HIPAA) protect the privacy of employee medical records."

In 2003, Jobs had a bout with pancreatic cancer. He recently appears to have lost a significant amount of weight according to the Post. In the case of Jobs, he seems to be appearing in public and doing his job, but the prospect that he might soon be out of Apple's developing picture does not bode well for investors. The lack of comment from Apple seems ominous to me. Meanwhile, Apple is expected to report EPS of $1.08 on revenue of $7.36 billion, according to First Call estimates.

Peter Cohan is President of Peter S. Cohan & Associates. He also teaches management at Babson College and edits The Cohan Letter. He has no financial interest in the securities mentioned.

The advance praise on the back of Good Guys & Bad Guys: Behind the Scenes with the Saints and Scoundrels of American Business (and Everything in Between) includes this line from Jim Cramer: "Joe Nocera's the best business writer alive."

Since this book is a collection of Nocera's best work spanning the past 25 years, this is definitely one you'll want to pick up. It includes lengthy profiles of T. Boone Pickens and Steve Jobs (both more than 20 years old), the latter of which should be read by anyone who is considering an investment in Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL).

Nocera has a unique ability to put together telling profiles of some of America's most important and controversial -- like Henry Blodget and Patrick Byrne -- business minds that provide real insight without disintegrating into pseudo-psychoanalytical babble.

It would be nice to see Nocera put together a full-length book of original material but this is a good start -- if you like his New York Times columns, this is worth picking up.

Sometimes a major CEO seems like a foolish child more than a competitive leader. And sometimes the head of Verizon Communications, Inc. (NYSE: VZ), Ivan Seidenberg, has said things that make many of us scratch our collective heads. With Apple, Inc.'s (NASDAQ: AAPL) 3G iPhone about to hit the street (but not the Verizon network), Seidenberg must have been driven by jealousy to say something silly.

In response to the impending release of the 3G iPhone, Seidenberg said: "There goes the conspiracy again. You're declaring them a winner before they've earned it on the field." This in response to a reporter's question about the new iPhone achieving mass market appeal due to the lower entry price of $199. The iPhone does not have a huge market share when all sold phones are considered, but the new $199 price tag could sure put the Cupertino company in a position to ramp up that share pretty fast. This apparently concerns Seidenberg.

Sometimes waiting out the competition is a strategy that doesn't involve much R&D. Seidenberg went on to say, "Steve Jobs eventually will get old . . . I like our chances." Instead of trying to find some innovation to provide to the Verizon customer, maybe Verizon (along with all the other wireless carriers) will just try to wait out Apple's wireless offerings until Steve Jobs retires. Doesn't sound like a recipe for success to me. But then again, Seidenberg has said some pretty clueless things before. Maybe this is just another example of a corporate leader who's out of touch with his industry.

MAJOR PAPERS:

• The Wall Street Journal reported that executives from Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) informed plant managers and union representatives that they intend to reduce overtime and that additional buyouts of union workers were necessary to cut costs.
• The Wall Street Journal also reported that federal prosecutors are preparing to file criminal charges against Ralph Cioffi and Matthew Tannin, two hedge fund managers at Bear Stearns, now part of JP Morgan Chase & Co (NYSE: JPM), with securities fraud.
• Investors who helped U.S. financial companies raise capital are currently losing nearly $10B on paper, according to an analysis by the Financial Times.

OTHER PAPERS:

• Fortune reported that the materials used to build Apple Inc's (NASDAQ: AAPL) new 3G iPhone could cost as little as $100, while the components of the old iPhone cost $170, according to analysis by Portelligent, an Austin, Texas-based teardown specialist.
• Steve Jobs appeared to be extremely thin during the unveiling of Apple's new iPhone last Monday, causing speculation by observers. Fortune speculated that Jobs' weight loss over the years is being caused by a complex operation he underwent in 2004, in order to treat a rare type of pancreatic cancer.

It's been an interesting week watching Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL)'s stock. On Monday, a gaunt Steve Jobs announced the new iPhone 3G -- something that was completely expected due to months of rumors and talk from the tech world and the finance community as well.

Jobs indeed announced the new iPhone that will run on higher-speed data networks. The tagline is this: Twice as fast. Half the price. So, Jobs announced the newest, fastest iPhone with all these new features while dropping the price to under $200.

Investors apparently could have cared less. Although speculation about Jobs' health immediately started circulating around the internet, Apple's share price briefly peaked about $185 during his' keynote speech (see red circle), then started going south the further he progressed into his iPhone demo. Then, on Tuesday, AAPL shares rose above $186 before starting a downward trend to just over $173 a share Thursday.

In many cases, the market goes hog wild anytime there is a major announcement from Apple, and these generally happen in January, June or September. Why wasn't the market caring about the newest, greatest iPhone that will undoubtedly sell like crazy when it's released in less than a month, pushed out to 70 countries this year, and given away for such an entry-level price? What's not to like? Another Apple home run in a series of dozens of them in a row. The market seems unimpressed, or perhaps it's waiting until sales actually occur in July before taking AAPL shares above the $200 mark.

What's one little 3G iPhone when the future of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) may be in the balance?

Seems that Apple enthusiasts didn't just listen to Steve Jobs when he unveiled the new iPhone Monday, but they watched him too. In fact, they watched very carefully. And some think that Apple's co-founder and CEO, its visionary, the one identified with the company's resurrection and its future, looked too slim when he delivered his keynote speech; his appearance, apparently, was pale and gaunt.

Of course, many are worried because Jobs was diagnosed with a rare form of pancreatic cancer four years ago. After he underwent surgery, Apple said it was successful, but disclosed the matter nine months after the fact. Naturally, many people cannot help but recall Jobs' brush with cancer when he doesn't look his best. This is not the first time such concerns surfaced.

There was so much buzz over Jobs' appearance, with bloggers comparing photos of the CEO, that the usually tight-lipped Apple issued a statement saying Jobs' thinner appearance was due to "a common bug" from two weeks ago. It's the antibiotics he's been taking, a spokeswoman for Apple said, that's made him so thin, and was it not for the Worldwide Developers Conference, he'd be laying low.

It's so odd to see a developer's conference turn into a PR machine for arguably the world's hottest tech company, but about all of the geek crowd is sitting on pins and needles this morning waiting for the Worldwide Developer's Conference (WWDC) from Apple, Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) to begin. Why? Well, the expected unveiling of the iPhone 2, of course.

As I wrote last week, Apple's shares may inch towards $200 today depending on what product bombshell Steve Jobs drops on the world. If you bought shares when they were in the $120 range back at the start of 2008, are you going to take a profit should shares reach the $200 level? Apple, like most of the market, took a beating this past Friday as the DJIA dumped almost 400 points in a single day, but that doesn't mean AAPL shares will not make up for lost ground. Customers are still buying Mac computers and iPhones like there's no tomorrow -- recession or not.

The trick is this: Apple could score a major coup if an iPhone 2 is announced today -- and is immediately available for purchase at Apple stores. This is being predicted, and it's not really out of the realm of reality. The original iPhone was a launch of monstrous proportions, but it was announced in January 2007 and released in June 2007. The hype built in that gap was so large that iPhones flew off the shelves once June came last year. The hype is now for the newer, speedier iPhone that has extended capabilities and a possibly lower cost. If that happens when Jobs takes the stage at 9:30 a.m. PDT this morning, expect the market to take notice and AAPL shares to lift past their ending $186.25 price from Friday's market close.

The hysteria will begin soon -- catch it here live.

In what seems like an event that's more like the Academy Awards, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) CEO Steve Jobs will take center stage at San Francisco's Moscone Center on Monday to announce something. That "something," if you've been paying attention to tech news over the last month in any corner of the globe, will be the second version of the iPhone.

Expect Apple's stock activity and message board nuttiness to be in overdrive until a few minutes before Jobs give his messiah-like speech about something. You see, the religious love affair much of the media (and diehard Apple fans) have with the company and Jobs himself will create so much buzz that it would not be surprising to see Apple shares top $200 easily and maybe go beyond their 52-week high. That high will come just as Jobs lets the word drop on the next iPhone.

As Timothy Sykes reminds you, don't consider this a prime opportunity to buy Apple. Although, sitting at $190 before the market opens this morning may tempt you, what do you gain with a rise to $200 per share? 5%? If that's good for you in a day or two -- if it happens -- more power to you.

There are some who time their Apple profits on the two meetings or so per year that happen from Apple's top guy (known as Steve-o), but an investing strategy for the long term and a frenzied quest for an extremely short-term gain are two totally different things. I'll be watching with interest this Monday, but still won't have added Apple shares to my stable.

So, according to this piece out on Reuters, Napster (NASDAQ: NAPS) is in a fighting mood. It recently created an MP3 download site that contains over six million tunes. Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) has been doing gangbuster business for years with its iTunes juggernaut, so it only stands to reason that from now until doomsday there will be initiatives aimed at stealing a little bit of the big guy's thunder. Whether it's Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) or Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT), Apple will always have challengers.

Question is, does this matter? Should Steve Jobs and his Apple shareholders be shuddering in their collective boots? Probably not, although any competition should be taken seriously, I suppose. I grant you that Napster is a recognizable name when it comes to web-based music commerce (heck, Napster started all the peer-to-peer ruckus way back when), and that six million compositions represents an awesome depth of musical inventory, But come on, Apple has staked out one of the most vital components of a successful business: unmatched brand equity.

Simply put, Apple's brand in music downloads is as powerful and iconic as Coca-Cola's brand is in soft drinks. Yes, the Napster service, according to the article, will have an important competitive component, namely the ability to transfer songs to other devices, including the iPod. Napster, as many of you probably know, markets a subscription-based service, but you can bet that management will now concentrate on this download asset.

"The more I look at Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) and its new iPhone, the more I consider it to be, perhaps, the most innovative and transformative company in mobile computing today," notes wireless sector expert Nikhil Hutheesing.

The editor of The Forbes Wireless Stock Watch explains, "Put simply, iPhone is a game-changing product, and we are now making the case for investors to buy the stock."

"When Apple first announced its move into the wireless PDA business - in January 2007 when it introduced its iPhone - there was skepticism over whether it would be able to grab market share from incumbents like Research In Motion, which makes the BlackBerry smartphone and Palm which makes Treo handhelds.

"Nobody is doubting Apple today. Steve Jobs' iPhone is in the hands of over four million people and it is now the number two smartphone in the business with a 28% market share. It has surpassed Palm and is nipping at the heels of RIMM's BlackBerry.

"Until recently, iPhone, like Apple's Mac has been a fairly 'closed' universe. It was a great consumer device but it had little presence among large corporate users, the so-called enterprise market. That all changed in March.

I do a weekly radio show titled Good Day Wealth with Doug Stephan and Georges Yared every Saturday morning coast-to-coast. It's a fun and hopefully informative show about the economy, stock market, etc. We take listeners calls both in email and live on the air. I got an email from one listener, William, who is thinking about putting 60% or so of his portfolio into Dell (NASDAQ: DELL) because "if Steve Jobs can do it with Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), Michael Dell can do it with Dell."

My response to William is no way -- don't even think about it. Dell is NOT Apple.

Apple is a growth story with multiple legs to it. From the iPod to the iPhone, the new Mac and its attendant software, to, of course, the incredible retail store system that numbers more than 200 strong, globally, Apple is a true growth story for the next several years. Apple has another thing going for it: terrific and expanding margins.

Adobe (NASDAQ: ADBE)'s Flash player is used for most videos available on the internet. Almost all PCs use it for content play-back. Now, Adobe will use Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL)'s software development kit to develop the product for the iPhone.

According to The Wall Street Journal, "In comments widely reported last month, Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs said the company's iPhone hadn't adopted Adobe's mobile version of its Flash program because of technical and performance concerns."

Adobe obviously think Jobs is full of beans. It means to prove that by getting its Flash player on Apple hardware so that customers can watch video from tens of thousand of websites. The Flash player is on about 700 million PCs worldwide, which is why content companies use it.

What is curious is that Jobs would resist allowing iPhone customers the ability to watch a wide variety of content. It would seem that would make the iPhone an even more popular item.

Maybe Apple wanted some cash from Adobe for the privilege of being on the hot handset product, and the media player company said "no."

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

At Apple Inc.'s (NASDAQ: AAPL) annual meeting, the company had an opportunity to calm upset investors. With its stock down from $202 to $124 in just a little over two months, throwing shareholders a bone might have been a good idea.

Apple currently has $20 billion in cash and short-term investments. The company almost never buys other companies. It does not need the money for capital expenditures. Each quarter, the cash balance gets larger.

Apple's faithful are concerned, with good reason, that iPod sales may be slowing. There has been doubt voiced about whether the company can hit its ambitious iPhone sales targets. The economy could also catch up with Apple. PCs and consumer electronics are not essentials when money gets tight.

Apple could have announced a share buy-back or created a dividend. Some critics would say that a "growth stock" is not an investment for yield investors. But for the time being Apple is not a growth stock. Giving loyal investors a little cash back would not have been such a bad idea.

Steve Jobs probably thinks he knows what is right for people who own stock in his company. Some investors are probably losing patience with that. Not everyone is a billionaire.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.