Apple Thoughts: Steve Jobs' Health Disclosures Probed

"The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is probing whether Apple sufficiently informed investors of CEO Steve Jobs' health status, Bloomberg reported Wednesday. An unnamed source told the news organization the review does not mean Apple committed any wrongdoing, according to the report. Last week, Apple announced Jobs was taking a six-month medical leave of absence after being informed his health troubles were "more complex" the previously announced. Prior to the announcement, Jobs had assured the Mac community an ailment that had prompted speculation was due to a "hormonal imbalance" the Apple co-founder described as "easily treatable." However, the latest pronouncement by Apple has failed to quell talk that Jobs' health problems are connected to a 2004 pancreatic cancer."

I'm a bit worried for Apple this time around. When Apple made it's "Steve is fine" proclamation a few months ago, I thought it may be a bad move because they were opening themselves up to problems if Steve ever did get really sick. While this investigation by the SEC shouldn't be taken as immediate wrongdoing, there will undoubtedly be people who use this to claim that Jobs mislead shareholders so as to not harm the price of Apple's stock. Me? I'm not sure what to think, actually.