Steve Jobs health watch

September 10, 2008 1:38am

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When Steve Jobs strode onto the stage in San Francisco today to unveil Apple’s latest iPods, the Apple boss poked fun at recent speculation about his health by borrowing a line from Mark Twain.

“The reports of my death are greatly exaggeraged,” read a slide that flashed up on the screen as he began his hour-long spiel.

After the presentation Mr Jobs spoke briefly to CNBC, but only agreed to address his health in an off-camera interview:  

So after the interview, I did ask Jobs how he was doing. “I’m doing fine, really,” he said. I asked him about the rampant speculation and rumors on the blogosphere about the issue, and whether he was surprised by it. Where did he think it all came from, I asked. He picked up his briefcase and told me it was from “hedge funds with a big short position in Apple.”

He was kidding, right? Apparently, yes. CNBC explains:

I think a little context here might be helpful. He said it in passing. It wasn’t as if he was lobbing some specific grenade on Wall Street.