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Apple beat Wall Street estimates for its latest quarter's revenues and profits yesterday, but worried shareholders with unimpressive guidance for the next quarter. During the conference call, Apple executives refused to answer an analyst's question about CEO Steve Jobs's health, replying: ""Steve's health is a private matter." Silicon Alley Insider's Henry Blodget disagrees:

Steve Jobs is arguably Apple's single most valuable asset. If he's seriously ill, shareholders have every right to know this. The definition of "material information," after all, is information that the average investor would consider important in making an investment decision—and it's hard to see how an Apple investor would not consider Steve's health material.

Apple shares are down 8.5 percent in trading so far today.

(Photo by AP/Sakuma)