Steve, have you lost weight? Analyzing the Apple chief's BMI

Steve Jobs and the new iPhone he unveiled Monday are facing the same question: How thin are they really?

First, people wondered whether the iPhone 3G was thinner or fatter than its predecessor. Answer: thinner on the edges and thicker in the middle.

Now, it's Jobs' turn. The buzz at the Apple developer conference and on blogs afterward was that the 53-year-old CEO looked much more gaunt than in previous public appearances. His physique inspired some major speculation about whether Jobs, who battled pancreatic cancer in 2003, was again suffering from health troubles.

After his keynote address, investors and Apple fans scrutinized Jobs' appearance almost as closely as they did the new iPhone. One tech analyst (who declined to be named out of fear of angering Apple) told me that after seeing photos of Jobs from the event, his clients were so worried that they searched the Web for old pictures of him. Their conclusion: If he were a boxer, he'd be fighting in a lower weight class.

Turns out, Jobs has been a little sick, according to an Apple spokeswoman.  She said he was recovering from a "common bug that he got two weeks ago" and was taking antibiotics. "He didn't want to miss" the developers conference, she said.

It's a sign of Apple's rocket success and Jobs' importance to the company that people discuss his health as if he were gunning for the White House. But is it fair to Jobs and his family? One could argue that he has the right to a private life -- except when it concerns the fate of the company to which he is so inextricably tied. After all, this is a man who closely controls every decision Apple makes and has overseen its restoration to the ranks of the world's finest technology companies.

But does that mean people have a right to know his current body mass index? (Eyeballing him, I would put it at 19.)

Old anxieties about Jobs and his health were fanned earlier this year after a Fortune magazine story described how Jobs and Apple's board hid his cancer diagnosis for months while he fought the disease. Jobs was lucky and beat the cancer after an operation. But the silence of the board didn't give investors and Apple fans any comfort that the company would disclose the information if Jobs were to become sick again.

For now, the official word is that Jobs is like his new iPhone: Thin at the edges, but still robust.

--  Michelle Quinn

Photo, right: Apple CEO Steve Jobs on Monday in San Francisco. Credit: Robert Durell / Los Angeles Times

Photo, left: Jobs at an Apple store in Palo Alto in June 2007 with wife Laurene Powell. Credit: Paul Sakuma / Associated Press

Comments

[russell]

Perhaps he is smart, and wants to get skinny -- the one thing proven to extend life, or perhaps this is a consequence of the illness.

[HK]

There is something terribly wrong. A 53 year old man should not be this gaunt. And I know he does not have Aids. I am assuming the cancer is back. He does not look healthy by any stretch of the imagination. I do hope he can recover.

[PNW Trojan]

Knowing folks who HAD cancer, and beat it, most did so TEMPORARILY... within 5 years, it morphs and comes back more virulent. Steve, we ALL wish you the very best... live long and prosper.

[jesper]

MAC is so good at promoting, and every one just falls on there tail.
But Apple/MAC needs to do better.
Yes the phone is great looking, but what’s new, faster internet ?, is the camera much better ? why is there no video call’s ? Actually the new things is still OLD. Can I change my battery ?, No the iPhone is the same old phone, wit a faster internet, still stone-age technology, in this business
No Apple, has done this again. People like my self got the first one, and was happy with the internet and mail, but in a business you need copy / Paste, but this are you still not getting. Apple's discussion forum, is no good, all you will hear is ” the iPhone does not do this or that” so get the new iPhone 3G and get ready to get disappointed

[nick Mitsoulis]

all i can say is apple s a modern day cult that indoctrinates its people making them feel that there are a special breed of human mammal the brainwashing is at a phenomenal level i have seen this as someone close to me is fully under this spell its quiet interesting to analyze it consumes them fully it looks like a addiction of some sort ,i have been with apple for over 20 years but it never consumed me thank god for that. i like apple but i hate what it does to its users giving them some false misconception of stardom and false great hood in society,shame apple shame,

[Bill Moore]

Maybe he should try eating meat.

[John]

He has cancer. This is public info. Leave it to the LA Times to be so superficial. Ugh. Another reason to never subscribe.

[JOHN HART]

OK, TAKE THAT IPHONE/JOBS METAPHOR A FEW LINES FURTHER: 1) BURNT AROUND THE EDGES FOR BOTH THE PHONE AND JOBS..WHATEVER IT TOOK TO TRIM THE SIDES WAS NOT A HAPPY FIT, COMING EITHER FROM DISGRUNTLED OVERSEAS USERS OR JOBS BURNING UP AROUND THE OUTSIDES (WHETHER ITS WORKOUTS, DIET, OR ILLNESS, IT DOESN'T SEEM 'ORGANIC', IN EITHER CASE..MORE LIKE OUTWARD PRESSURE FORCING THINGS IN).
TO PUSH IT, I MIGHT SAY THAT 'THICKER IN THE MIDDLE' IS A EUPHEMISM FOR HOW WE OLDER FOLKS ARE EVER CLOSER TO DEATH, JUST AS THE STOMACH POUCH SAGS.
I DON'T THINK WE NEED TO SEE STEVE SHOW LOSS OF WEIGHT OR HAIR, IN ORDER TO KNOW HE WON'T LIVE FOREVER. THE IPHONE MAY BE TENDER IN THE MIDDLE (LIKE A NICE PANCAKE, BATTER THICKENED FOR MILLIONS MORE USERS TO PAY LESS FOR FLUFF THEY MAY THINK IS NEEDED NEW-TECH GEAR), BUT EVENTUALLY, THIS DEVICE WILL NEED SURGERY TO DO ALL THE WARM THINGS FOR THE MASSES; BLUETOOTH EARPHONE, MICROPHONE AND EYE-BALL SIZE VIDGLASSES(EYE-PHONE?!), WHICH IS HOW SURGICALLY ALTERED WE'LL ALL LOOK SOON!
2ND COMING, AKA "GOOD NEWS":STEVE IS TO APPLE AS AKIO MORITO WAS TO SONY...THE COMPANIES WILL LIVE ON, BUT THE FOUNDERS TAKE A LITTLE PIECE OF THE HEART WITH THEM AS THEY PASS ON!! LET'S FACE IT, BOTH JOBS AND IPHONE WILL DIE YOUNG AND LIVE MUCH LONGER...THAN MERE MORTALS SUCH AS US!

[anonymouse]

I hope there's a decent succession plan this time around.... obviously not well and sad to see it even if his behavior is awful much of the time. This last go around of product didn't show much and the Pixar stuff is similarly suffering... time to lower the reality distortion field flux levels and spend some time with the family. Lower stress = longer life.

[Shaun Mason]

95% of patients do not "beat" pancreatic cancer. It is a recurrent and highly metastatic disease. If it was resectable the first time around, that's a good thing. If it has recurred, he's probably getting chemotherapy and possible radiation, both treatments with side effects that affect appetite. He probably has some kind of recurrence or metastasis, and the sad truth is that when cancer patients start losing weight, they are on the downward spiral. Living 5 years beyond a diagnosis of pancreas cancer is rare enough. Surviving it to the lenth of a normal life span is not expected.

If the news is bad, I also say thanks for everything, Steve, and good luck with your health.

[Brad]

I don't know why this is suddenly news. Jobs looked exactly this way two years ago at the opening of the all glass Manhattan store. It sort of freaked me out at the time, but he has looked this way every time I have seen him. Seems like a long time to have cancer without kemotheropy.

[Jeff]

After about 15 years being an anti-Mac Windows user, I was impressed by Keynote (Apple software) and decided to rent a Mac to use it to give a seminar. I've been a huge fan of Mac's ever since, and have completely flipped sides. Being so enthusiastic about Apple, it's exciting to watch the progress of the company and get excited about products coming out -- which is the only reason to watch a keynote speech from a CEO of any company.

So when I started eagerly watching the latest speech for details of the new 3G iPhone, I was struck immediately by Jobs' frailty. I had a gut reaction: he looks sick. I don't know why people think it's wrong to be discussing this. There is something wrong, and I think it's unfortunate that the PR folks explain it away as being a "common bug". The man is 53. Not 73. I know what he looks like from those prior speeches. And he does not look well. He has my unwavering support and enthusiasm. But if this isn't a PR spin, I don't know what is.

[Jane]

There is no such thing as being a "little sick" with pancreatic cancer. That is like being a "little bit" pregnant. To Bill Moore who posted above; pancreatic cancer directly hits the digestive system causing all sorts of problems. He could eat a horse and not gain a pound. It's too bad Steve Jobs doesn't put his money and voice to this disease.

[ND]

Jobs had a Neuroendocrine tumor in his pancreas. This is not the same thing as the more common type of pancreatic cancer. It can be treated surgically and the prognosis is not nearly as bad. This is easy information to find and I'm surprised no one has mentioned it.

[peterpiper]

The "Should I Buy the iPhone 3G?" test...

http://www.maxim.com/Should-You-Buy-the-New-iPhone-A-Checklist/Maxim-Stuff/blogs/599/26364.aspx?

[CS]

Comparing photos, put the hat on the first one and change the lighting to match second photo, and I don't see much difference. He is thin, but hasn't he always been thin, even before surgery?

If he has lost weight this should be no surprise, even without recurrence of cancer. The surgery often results in several vitamin deficiencies that start kicking in around year three to five. Mr. Jobs I believe is a vegetarian, which would complicate and possibly make the deficiencies more severe.

To Jane who posted above: I'm just curious. Do you know for certain Mr. Jobs HASN'T donated to cancer or other medical research?

[J. Confino, MD]

As a ND noted, Jobs had a pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor, not the typical pancreatic adenocarcinoma that many are aware has a rather grim prognosis. There are many types of neuroendocrine tumors and the prognosis depends on type, histology, and stage but in general these have a much better prognosis and are potentially curable if not metastatic and can be surgically removed. We don't know any details of Jobs tumor so it's a little hard to speculate on his risk of recurrent disease. I do agree that he looks somewhat cachectic as he looks to have some temporal wasting (like an indentation on the side of the head adjacent to the eyes) and his clavicles (collar bone) are fairly prominent. Hopefully he doesn't have anything serious.

[Jennifer]

I think Steve look fine to me. He always stays thin. That is smart.

[justadude]

question:

if you know that people will be shocked at how gaunt you look , then why would you remain that gaunt? it's not healthy to be that skinny for a 50+ year old man. so it's not for health reasons. it's not good for marketing to looks sickly so it's not that.

and now apple PR is saying he has a common bug. what? hay fever or malaria?

let's be truthful and honest. that should be the motto for every public company.

[Brian Blank]

I've been a Mac user since 1985. I've been a Mac technician since 2002. I greatly admire Steve Jobs and consider him as someone I'd love to meet. His turnaround of Apple in the late-90's was pure genius. I can still remember how PC users blew a gasket when told that the "new" iMac would no longer offer a floppy drive; only a CD drive and a Zip drive. Funny, soon after most PC's no longer offered floppy drives either. I also remember when Apple undertook the complete update of their operating system from OS 8 (anyone remember Copland?) and were lambasted in the media and by critics. Many people pronounced the "end" of Apple and said that Windows was overtaking the Apple OS. Well, now that OS X 10.5 is humming along beautifully and Widows Vista has flopped we see the real brilliance of Steve Jobs. He has been a visionary in the tech & computer industries for decades. He's now doing the same thing for the music, movie and telephone industries. Unfortunately he doesn't look very good right now. But I hope that he lives a long, healthy life.

[x]

Can there be so much speculation taken as fact. The conclusions, judgements because someone feels he should more publicly support research, etc are absolutely pathetic. What planet do you people live on? Could you give this guy his dignity?

[currentinterest]

I have several friends Jobs' age who think that calorie restriction and being ultra thin will lengthen their lives. (I guess there is some evidence.) They all look like Steve to some extent.

[russell]

IIt might be a natural consequence of having part of his pancease removed. It is important for digestions and metabolism. I don't think I made that clear.

[OZ]

Steve, keep up the excellent work of constantly raising the bar.. and watching everyone else squirm and scramble to catch up.

[mcarp]

I looked that thin when I was walking four miles a day, biking 30 miles a week, and working out in the gym three days a week. I dropped about 40 pounds. I worked in a public and highly visible position, and many people assumed I had AIDS or something equally bad. They called my employer to inquire about my health. I was actually in the best shape of my life, and I wish I was that healthy now.

As for the propriety of inquiring or speculating about Jobs' health: he has chosen to make himself the 'face' of Apple, Inc., and I think that in doing so, he has forfeited an expectation of privacy. Rightly or wrongly, a certain degree of Apple's 'brand' hinges on the perception that he *is* Apple, Inc., and he has mostly encouraged that.

I think it's a good thing that he's begun to share more of the spotlight with other Apple staff during these keynotes. I'm not an Apple stockholder, but if I were, I'd want some reassurance about Apple's depth of management.