The fear of anything from Steve being close to death or already no longer with us has been a topic of wide appeal for 2008.  Steve Jobs has finally put to rest (no pun…) the demise as himself as the CEO of Apple and has also been kind enough to present us with a letter of what has been going on with him.  

A personal letter is very rare from the Apple CEO, but I am sure with all the goings-round from the news outlets, podcasts, blogs in the past that he needed to set things straight.  See the letter below and take a breath, for he should be with us for another year or more we hope.

January 5, 2009

Letter from Apple CEO Steve Jobs

Dear Apple Community,

For the first time in a decade, I’m getting to spend the holiday season with my family, rather than intensely preparing for a Macworld keynote.

Unfortunately, my decision to have Phil deliver the Macworld keynote set off another flurry of rumors about my health, with some even publishing stories of me on my deathbed.

I’ve decided to share something very personal with the Apple community so that we can all relax and enjoy the show tomorrow.

As many of you know, I have been losing weight throughout 2008. The reason has been a mystery to me and my doctors. A few weeks ago, I decided that getting to the root cause of this and reversing it needed to become my #1 priority.

Fortunately, after further testing, my doctors think they have found the cause—a hormone imbalance that has been “robbing” me of the proteins my body needs to be healthy. Sophisticated blood tests have confirmed this diagnosis.

The remedy for this nutritional problem is relatively simple and straightforward, and I’ve already begun treatment. But, just like I didn’t lose this much weight and body mass in a week or a month, my doctors expect it will take me until late this Spring to regain it. I will continue as Apple’s CEO during my recovery.

I have given more than my all to Apple for the past 11 years now. I will be the first one to step up and tell our Board of Directors if I can no longer continue to fulfill my duties as Apple’s CEO. I hope the Apple community will support me in my recovery and know that I will always put what is best for Apple first.

So now I’ve said more than I wanted to say, and all that I am going to say, about this.

Steve

[Apple]

  This mouse is the best mouse I have ever used, period.  I am not just saying this because of the BlueTrack technology, but because after a few days since the unboxing/review we did on this site, the mouse has proven to offer unrivaled comfort and precision in my opinion.  The mouse is very comfortable for extended use, battery life is good, and tracking is the best I have used on any mouse.  If you are in need of a mouse this holiday season, the BlueTrack Explorer is the one to get.

[BlueTrack Explorer]

  Mac Update has a new deal for this Holiday season.  They are offering 10 applications for $49 and the first 5000 also get an 11th app, iDive.  This is a great deal if you need some apps for virus, diagnosis or optimization.  See the list after the Jump.  

Drive Genius 2 ($99): diagnoses and repairs problems with your hard drive, optimizes your system, and more.
RapidWeaver 4 ($79): Create professional-looking Web sites quickly and easily. 
DefaultFolder X 4 ($34.95): Fly through Open & Save dialog boxes at lightning speed. 
VirusBarrier X 10.5 ($69.95): Fast, simple, and non-intrusive anti-virus software.
MacGourmet Deluxe ($44.95): Like iTunes for food, track recipes, plan meals, manage wines, and more.
LittleSnitch 2 ($29.95): Monitors your network connection to make sure your Mac only sends out what you want it to.
KeyCue 4 ($27): Displays full keyboard shortcuts for all your applications 
MacPilot 3 ($19.95): Access hundreds of hidden features to customize and improve your Mac OS X experience.
WhatSize 4 ($12.99): Identify files that are hogging disk space.
iVolume 3 ($29.95): Ensures all your iTunes tracks play back at the same volume level.

  Hopefully the economy is not affecting you, and if not, you can take advantage to the downside of the economy by applying for a new Visa.  Along with this new Visa, you get the ability to buy a PS3 for $150 off.  If you were looking for a PS3 or just a good Blu-ray player for this Holiday season, then this is your deal.

[Apply For Visa]

[via GadgetMadness]