San Francisco (CA) – New iPods and possibly a new music subscription service will take the center stage at today’s Apple event in San Francisco. But there is also a very distinct interest in Steve Jobs himself and how his health is holding up. In his first public keynote since Apple's worldwide conference in June, analysts will be closely watching the executive’s appearance, indicating once more how closely Steve Jobs is tied to how the state of the company is perceived.

Apple products are certainly not the only interest of investors and analysts anymore. In fact, given the number of reports and leaks that happened over the past few days, those new iPods may be just what everyone will expect. However, rumors about Steve Jobs’ health have kept some analysts and the investor community at least in doubt which Steve Jobs they should expect to appear on stage today.

Most analysts seem to be convinced that Jobs simply being present will reassure investors that Jobs is just fine. The general perception is that the CEO would not choose to appear publicly if he was not in perfect health.

"While some investors are concerned that Jobs will not deliver the keynote, we have reason to believe he will," Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster said. "Therefore, we believe his health has improved since the June event, which would be a positive for the stock."

Jobs' health has been the subject of great controversy ever since it became known how Apple's CEO survived pancreatic cancer five years ago. Jobs squashed worries about his condition, at least partially, when he revealed to the New York Times that his apparent weight loss has been the result of nutrition problems caused by side-effects of the cancer removal procedure. He said that concerns over his health are "greatly exaggerated."

Jobs’ gaunt appearance on stage at Apple's developer conference in June spooked investors and re-newed concerns about his health. The company told at the time that Jobs was suffering from a common bug. Still, many analysts think Jobs' vital signs belong to investors.

If Jobs’ were to leave Apple, Munster believes that Apple’s stock could plunge by 25% right away.

are you serious?

Sep 09, 2008 12:22     

do people think he's a robot? are investors that stupid? "OMG!! He has a sore throat!" stock plunges... wow..
Jonas report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

he is human after all. no steve god.

Sep 09, 2008 14:29     

yea...he will die some day and apple goes with it. just like warrent buffet and his Berkshire Hathaway. it's because they run the company like a dictator and there is no successor.
yo report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0