A panel on CNBC's Fast Money was recently remarking on AAPL's apparent invulnerability to the recession that's currently affecting the United States, noting that it's jumped 40% so far this year, outperforming the NASDAQ. J.P. Mark of Farmhouse Equity Research suggests that the excitement that persists among Apple's retail employees customers is a part of that performance.

As for the stock's immediate future, the panel and Mr. Mark point to this summer's concurrent release of iPhone OS 3.0 and a likely new iPhone model as a powerful stimulus. Finally, Mr. Mark notes that it isn't often that an electronic gadget becomes more useful and valuable over time.

I definitely agree with that. My iPhone is now almost two years old and it does much more than it did when I first opened its box. Also, if a new iPhone does appear this summer just as my current contract is expiring, I'll almost certainly buy it.

I don't know if you watched the Jon Stewart interview with CNBC host Jim Cramer on the Daily Show last night. Stewart and Cramer have been feuding for a week about Cramer's bad financial advice, and the lack of any deep or meaningful reporting on CNBC as the market was melting down.

As part of the back and forth (and I suggest you watch the whole clip) Stewart pulled out an old interview with Cramer where he talked about hurting Apple stock by claiming neither AT&T or Verizon was interested in selling the iPhone.

Cramer was a hedge fund manager at the time, and may have wanted a quick short term profit by manipulating stock sales with misleading information. Cramer said it was legal, Stewart questioned the ethics. In the end, the SEC will have to decide.

AAPL seems to be one of the top tech stocks that is buffeted by rumors, good and bad. In this case, here's a guy telling us how it works.

Here's a link to the older interview on YouTube. The part about Apple begins about 3:30 into the clip.

Thanks Jose for the tip and the link.

Correction: One of our readers points out that Cramer was not running a Hedge Fund in 2006 but gave it up in 2001. Thanks Rick for setting the time line straight.

Dan Lyons, who once wrote the "Fake Steve Jobs" blog, criticized Silicon Valley bureau chief Jim Goldman for withholding information from sources inside Apple about Steve Jobs' health.

The sparks fly in this video around the 3:30 mark.

Lyons, on CNBC Reports, said Goldman had become the kind of reporter that gets "played and punked" by Apple, and that he should have released the information he knew on Monday, before Apple's announcement yesterday. Lyons also demanded that Goldman apologize to Gizmodo, for criticizing their December 30 story about Jobs' declining health.

Goldman said that he had contacted two individuals on Monday who have personal contact with Jobs, but don't know the intimate details about his medical treatment. Goldman wrote yesterday:

What struck me was that both felt compelled to come to me to tell me that they had "serious misgivings" about the state of Jobs' health. One said, based on his contact with Jobs personally, that he was in "serious denial" about just how bad the circumstances had become. The other explained to me that he was "deeply concerned" about Jobs, and the sudden lack of communication, the non-return of emails, ignoring chat requests, unreturned phone calls was a strong indication to him that Jobs was in "dire" shape.

According to Silicon Alley Insider, a source close to the matter said that Lyons had been banned from appearing on CNBC again, though CNBC spokesman Kevin Goldman (no relation) said "Real Dan" had not been banned.

In related news, Joe Nocera, the New York Times journalist who Steve Jobs called a "slime bucket" in an off-the-record phone interview about his health, said that the medical problem Jobs confessed to in the call is different from the "hormone imbalance" mentioned in Apple's press release just before Macworld. Nocera called for greater transparency from Apple about how it discusses Steve's health.

[Via MacDailyNews.]

On a personal and editorial note, I wish Mr. Jobs and his family all the best, and this is the last story I'll be writing about yesterday's announcement for the foreseeable future. I was conflicted about even writing this, because Jobs deserves his time to recuperate, free from the spread of rumors and half-truths. Perhaps the less I write about it, the healthier he'll get. In theory. Maybe. We can hope. - RP

CNBC is reporting that Steve Jobs' health situation is "more serious" than previously thought, and Steve Jobs announced he is taking a "medical leave of absence" in a letter to Apple employees. He anticipates returning in July.

Tim Cook, Chief Operating Officer, is taking over day-to-day operations of Apple, Inc. in the meantime. In his letter, Jobs says the board supports this plan, and that he will be involved in major decisions even though he is out of the office.

Cook took the reins at Apple for a month in 2004, while Jobs had surgery for pancreatic cancer, the disease that could be contributing to his health problems today.

Jobs released a letter the day before Macworld Expo detailing a "hormone imbalance" that he said would be treatable with an adjusted diet. His health concerns apparently became a distraction to himself and Apple employees, so he chose to take a six-month medical leave of absence.

CNBC analyst Jim Goldman said his sources inside Apple told him that "Steve Jobs is in serious denial" about the state of his health. BusinessWeek's Arik Hesseldahl said on CNBC that although this is a surprise announcement, he took a milder tone, and doesn't think this is a resurgence of Jobs' pancreatic cancer, which Jobs said he beat.

Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster said on CNBC's Fast Money program that while Tim Cook is a solid choice to lead in the interim, "replacing the magic of Steve Jobs is impossible." Even so, Munster considers this a buying opportunity for Apple stock.

Apple stock trading was halted until 5 p.m. Eastern time. In early trades since the stock re-opened, AAPL's price is down by about $10.

Read on to see the full text of Jobs' letter.

As usual, Steve Jobs sat down with the press after making a public product announcement. This time, it was with Jim Goldman, who asked Steve about the new iPods and his health.

Noting that he could stand to gain a few pounds, Steve told Jim that he's "...doing fine" and "...surprised" by all the speculation over his health. Maybe he's just a skinny dude?

You can watch the full video here. Steve is such a salesman, watch him launch into his pitch before the 1 minute mark. He also addresses some of the problems of the past year, saying "We strive for perfection. Sometimes we achieve it and some times we don't ... it's our job to fix those [bugs]."

It was a good interview, though nothing we haven't heard from Steve before.

[Via MacDailyNews]

According to HitsLink, the people who track web usage statistics, iPhone users account for about a third of one percent of web browsers on the Internet, the largest of any mobile platform.

iPhone ranks fourth overall in terms of operating system market share, behind Windows, Mac, and Linux. On August 16, the stats peaked at 0.45 percent. That's a two-fold increase since the iPhone 3G was released July 11.

Jim Goldman, of business television network CNBC, says that "it's a key metric that shows market penetration and customer use." He cited a report by analyst Andy Hargreaves that suggests the increase in browser market share highlights the iPhone's key, long-term advantages. Well, duh.

"Consumers seem to know what some investors are having trouble grasping -- or believing: that Apple might be positioned better in so many key markets than any of its competitors," Captain Obvious Goldman said.

[Via MacDailyNews.]

As he usually does, Steve went on CNBC after this morning's keynote presentation to pitch his company's newest goodie. In this case, the MacBook Air. He talks about the size, of course, but also the relationship between Apple and Intel as well as the process of building the MacBook Air:

"...We built probably a hundred models to get to this ... If we could make this real, we would all just lust after this. And we did ... It's been two years of work to make this."

Most interestingly, CNBC reports that the supposed failed negotiations between Apple and China Mobile amounted to nothing more than a single visit to Cupertino by a single representative; hardly the contentious relationship we thought existed.

In today's world, media cannot be lost but only transformed. In this specific case, TUAW's Scott McNulty's appearance on CNBC is the transformation target; if you had trouble watching the clip of the Face2Face segment in CNBC's Windows Media embed on their page, the video is now available in the iTunes Store as a podcast. Watch Scott try to get a word in edgewise as the chatty traders shout over each other; not to be missed.

Thanks Ricky

Late word here at TUAW world headquarters: our fearless blogmeister Scott McNulty is scheduled to appear on CNBC's "Fast Money" tonight, discussing the fun and festivity surrounding WWDC. Top rumor sites hint that he may be wearing some sort of tropical attire, possibly a shirt with a floral pattern; we'll know soon. Good luck Scott!

Update: A link to Scott's stellar appearance is here (registration required, US residents only -- sorry!). Don't let the introduction ("Not just AN Apple blogger, THE Apple blogger... no one more relied upon for information about this company") scare you off, he's still the same lovable fellow.

Shortly after yesterday's big announcements (apparently he gave a speech or something), Steve Jobs appeared on CNBC to talk about the new iPods and the movies that are now a part of the iTunes Store. He mentions the "seasonal" aspect of iPod sales, and that they're optimistic heading into the holiday shopping season. He also gives a generic "no comment" statement regarding the stock options backdating issue that's currently going on.

Finally, not that it has to do with anything, but the reporter is trying to talk as sirens and air horns on a few firetrucks scream in the background. It's kind of funny.

A number of folks have sent this interview that His Steveness did on CNBC right before the Fifth Avenue store opened. Notice the elevator in the back there, no need to worry about getting a stroller or wheelchair down those glass stairs.