Apple Thoughts: Jobs' Health Bad For Apple Regardless?

"Is the fascination with Steve Jobs's health morbid? As surely morbid as it is necessary. Jobs has not stepped down as Apple's CEO. After the surgery report surfaced, some blogs reported Jobs had been at Apple for meetings. Is he in? Is he out? This nonstop dance has the effect of keeping Jobs at the center of any talk of Apple even when he's ostensibly removed himself from its daily affairs. Only someone with an overweening sense of self-importance would allow this to continue. Unfortunately, that describes Jobs."

While I don't think Steve Jobs' health is anyone's business but his and his family's, I do see where Owen Thomas is coming from here. The constant drama surrounding Jobs' health (much of it media created and related) is a distraction to Apple's business and a drain on the share price as every little hangnail becomes reason to go running from Apple's stock. I'm not one to tell people what to do (except in certain un-family friendly ways) but maybe Owen Thomas is right. Maybe it's time Jobs stepped down and let the company move on without him. As much as that terrifies me and leaves me worried for the future of Apple, maybe it should happen now while he's still healthy enough to help out and steer the company as an advisor.

Of course, I'm a big huge monster Steve Jobs fan so it would really mean me locking myself in a dark room and weeping uncontrollably for weeks if such a thing were to happen, but maybe that's what's best for Apple in the long run.

Thoughts?