Perhaps the funniest story I have seen lately is the accidental printing of Apple CEO's Steve Jobs' obituary. New York-based Bloomberg News accidentally published an erroneous obituary of Apple founder Steve Jobs on their external wire system, the U.K.'s Daily Telegraph reported.
Before you jump to the conclusion that someone at the Bloomberg News has it in for Jobs or wants him dead, it is common for reporters to write obituaries of famous people to have on file.
When I worked in the newspaper industry, obituaries were written daily for famous people because celebrities do not always die before deadline so if you had an obituary already written it was easy to get it in the paper at a moments notice.
Most times it is written by the "newbies" which might explain the accidental release. It would have been real simple for a new person to have saved it to the wrong place.
I am sure it gave a heart attack to Apple stockholders, though. The timing could not have been worse as rumors have been soaring through the internet faster than the iPhone has been selling out that Jobs is suffering from cancer again.
Jobs was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2003, but has denied reports that it has returned. Apple's entire image is wrapped up in Jobs. He did, after all, make Apple what it is today.
The good news is that the obituary was flattering. The text, which contained a blank space for the cause of his death and his age, reportedly described Jobs as the man who "helped make personal computers as easy to use as telephones, changed the way animated films are made, persuaded consumers to tune into digital music and refashioned the mobile phone," the Telegraph reported.
Bloomberg later issued a retraction note, saying that the text was deleted immediately.
"The item was never meant for publication and has been retracted," the note read.
Apple stockholders should take note that it isn't unusual for an obituary to be written ahead of time even for people that are perfectly healthy. I know with the rumors some might assume that he has cancer again, but this really is a common practice.
Newspapers keep obituaries on file for everyone from Oprah to the current president. It is just a tradition to ensure they are written in time.
So Apple lovers take a deep breath of relief. Jobs will be around for years to come!
