Amen. This is why I can never be a prying reporter. There are bigger things at play:

They will rationalize the prying story by saying that Apple is a public company and investors need—nay, deserve—this information.

Well, bullshit.

The truth is, there is no real news value to any of this stuff. The only real value to any of these stories is that they generate page views. And the guys who are doing it, whether they write for a blog or for The New York Times, know the truth of what they’re doing, and they do it anyway. If you really want to learn about cancer and liver transplants, you can go to the library. If you’re an investor and really can’t live with the uncertainty that today’s announcement brings to Apple stock, well, sell your shares and thank Steve Jobs for the ridiculous profits you’ve made. If you decide to hang on to your shares, that’s fine too—but don’t go around claiming that your handful of shares gives you the right to pry into the private life of a sick man.