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In an interview after yesterday's iPod refresh announcement, Apple CEO Steve Jobs admitted that he could "stand to gain 10 or 15 pounds," but told CNBC's Jim Goldman "I'm doing fine, really." Jobs said he blamed what Goldman calls "the rampant speculation and rumors on the blogosphere about the issue," on "hedge funds with a big short position in Apple." Jobs is wrong.

The story got big because after hordes of tech reporters noticed Jobs's sickly appearance at the iPhone 3G launch, Jobs's personal flack on Apple's payroll Katie Cotton tried to deal with them by telling them Jobs's simply had a "common bug." It was an obvious lie and it only added mystery to an already juicy story Apple shareholders had every right to fully understand.