• CNBC , Wednesday, December 31, 2008 11:45 AM

Of course, not everyone takes kindly to the Steve Jobs health debate. CNBC's Jim Goldman, for one, isn't happy about the persistent rumors.

After speaking with Apple and receiving the exact same response he received when Apple decided to pull out of Macworld two weeks ago, Goldman reminds us that if Apple is lying--that is, "manipulating its own stock by manipulating the truth"-- then "someone--indeed a lot of people--could be going to jail."

Meanwhile, as for the Gizmodo report, Goldman says: "unsourced garbage nuking its shares is just that." He adds that the report was "flimsy at best," and that Apple told him that the company decided to pull out of Macworld because it didn't see the need to continue its investment in the show. Goldman's own sources reiterated that the decision had nothing to do with Jobs' health.

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