“What was Steve thinking? I don’t pretend to understand the pressures he’s under, both physically and professionally, but calling New York Times columnist Joe Nocera with an ‘off the record’ health update was a big mistake, completely unnecessary, and serves only to fan the flames,” Jim Goldman writes for CNBC.
“Make no mistake: I’m happy he did if only to confirm what many of us have speculated about: that he’s dealing with some non-life-threatening health issues that don’t seem material to Apple. And make no mistake, I sure wish he would’ve called me. I do,” Goldman writes.
“I just find it so weird that he reached out to anyone, and in such a strange way. Nocera reports that Jobs started the conversation by saying, ‘This is Steve Jobs. You think I’m an arrogant (expletive) who thinks he’s above the law, and I think you’re a slime bucket who gets most of the facts wrong,'” Goldman writes.
Goldman writes, “Which makes you kinda wonder why Jobs would choose a ‘slime bucket’ to get his story out. The trouble for Apple, for Jobs, is consistency. You either comment. Or you don’t. You either talk on the record. Or you don’t. And you do so consistently. The fact is, Jobs and Apple don’t need to comment simply because Jobs’ health, such that it is today, is not failing, he’s not dying, and therefore whatever is ailing him is not “material” to the company. That’s the threshold.”
More in the full article here.
“calling New York Times columnist Joe Nocera with an ‘off the record’ health update was a big mistake”
People are never happy… whether Steve is being secretive or talkative, people complain.
Hello, this is Steve Jobs here.
How do you confirm who’s calling? Could have been Dan Lyons.
It’s all 0s and 1s.
But then we would never have that really funny cartoon at the Joy of Tech!
He spoke to that “slime bucket” because it was the NY Times. Have you ever noticed that perhaps Steve reads that paper? The iPhone demo page for the web showed the NY Times…….
Hey, where is the snarky MDN comment???
Anyway, Jobs probably did it off-the-record because the reality is really, really unpleasant to talk about in public .
A doctor provides pretty good speculation of what is going on here (and, honestly, would you want to hold a press conference on this):
http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2008/07/whats_wrong_with_steve_jobs.php
SJ knew what he was doing.
Nocera always makes me mad because his articles about Apple are not only superficial but also with a negative bias. I don’t think he really understands his subject. So, SJ calls him a slime bucket. Doubtless true. But the so-called “reporters” hate this and almost always close ranks when any of their membership is criticized. How dare anyone criticize the Fourth Estate? We will see more articles like this one — taking personal swipes at SJ — before it dies down. (Note: I write from the perspective of being a former newspaper journalist with Columbia University credentials.)
Guess Poser is right. How do we really know that Steve Jobs called this guy. For all intents and purposes, why this guy? Why not someone more credible like Mossberg? Why a noby like Nocera. This begs more questions than answers.
I still maintain the whole call was complete fiction on the part of the reporter. It was a cheap trick to make him seem ‘in the know’.
Ask yourself, why would Steve waste his time phoning some reporter about an issue which is nobody’s business? And not only that – but cast insults without provocation?
Yeah, we all know Steve has a temper – but he’s not the kind to attack someone, and definitely not so publicly. Sure, he might argue with AT & T execs and Apple employees (as he did), but he has a lot more tact when dealing with the press.
Steve’s best action would be to issue a statement on the Apple website, in his own time, on his own terms – speaking DIRECTLY to Apple customers, not an egomanic reporter.
I find it really weird when catching this story here on the weekend, sounds very unlike Steve Jobs, I wished & still do the guy was makin up the whole phone call thing. Only now that i’m concerned about his health, could it be that bad that impaired his judgement?
@Sliverwarloc —
Raiders fan?
Perhaps Jobs never called that guy in the first place. Some other guy pretending to be Jobs?
@ CNBC’s Jim Goldman.
Where the hell where you when the shit first hit the fan?
Why do we have to put up with the crap such as Nocera’s? Why do we have to wait for credible journalists to comment?
Then again, all these slime buckets have the answers. Dan Lyons says the NYT is now pwnd as the PR tool of SJ and Apple:
http://realdanlyons.com/blog/2008/07/27/pr-rule-1-people-who-are-telling-the-truth-about-themselves-do-not-insist-on-being-off-the-record/
I think it’s all pretty simple. That slime bucket Nocera just pissed him off. I would’ve probably done the same thing (after I tried to cool off in a leisurely flight in my Gulfstream).
Poor Steve,
He’s probably dealing with the fact that the crap bucket liberal rag he subscribes too turned on him.
Screw CNBC. He should have called the Wall Street Journal, given them facts and then marveled at how they simply repeated the facts.
Jim is right. The rumormongers like Nocera win when they force Steve to respond to their nonsense. It’s best to ignore them.
There is a pattern to it all.
Say Steve Jobs turns Apple in to a 100 million bucks per year company, that’s 100 million bucks not going somewhere else.
Journalists do make it up and get away with it, some have the support of the President whilst they are doing it – search Jeff Gannon. Oh hell, this link gives a taster. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Gannon
No one knows what’s really going on but you can be sure it’s nothing like what is reported.
Serious business.
Information Age = BS, people understand less. More information does not equal better understanding when the information is false, flawed, Faux or advertising.
Darn! I missed Joy of Tech having a funny cartoon.
This is Steve Jobs. Mac Daily news are a bunch of gay ass faggets. But, you dumbasses, listen closesly. I have a problem with my heart and diet due to my vegetarian diet, but its not too life threatening. I have to go in for a surgery, but its not cancer. And, thi better be hidden or I’ll take your dick sucking asses to court and have you arrested for treason.
– Steve Jobs. The bald headed cancer patient. 1/10 the weight of Steve Ballmer. Take that Micro*soft*. Get it. They’re soft. Hence the “Soft” in “Microsoft”.
SOFT.
“Why do we have to put up with the crap such as Nocera’s?”
Because apparently Steve blessed him above all other journalists with the detailed knowledge of his condition.
And Steve expected him to write about it.
“And Steve expected him to write about it.”
In this instance your God has chosen Nocera as his mouthpiece. Don’t question, just continue to obey.
Hey Steve Jobs! Don’t you dare make fun of my weight you anorexic POS. THE ZUNE IS TAKING OFF! AND WINDOWS LIVE SEARCH IS TAKING OVER GOOGLE!
Just wait! The surface table will change the world! Watch, Ill make Bill proud! ANd ill lose 500 punds! Watch Steve! Watch!!!!
Steve wasn’t smoking mushrooms when he called the slimeball reporter. He was getting out the information he wanted to get out without appearing to be releasing private medical information. Anyone who thinks Jobs is stupid, is… well, stupid.