Washington - The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is reportedly investigating whether Apple (NASD: AAPL) misled investors with its disclosures about CEO Steve Jobs' faltering health, according to Bloomberg, which cited "a person familiar with the matter." Both Apple and the SEC declined to comment on the story for Bloomberg; the SEC is only required to disclose an investigation if it decides to take enforcement action.

After Jobs -- who battled pancreatic cancer in 2004 -- began to appear more gaunt over the summer, the company announced he would not deliver his trademark keynote at the Macworld conference earlier this month.

As the conference was set to kick off, Jobs disclosed that a "hormone imbalance" for which he was already receiving treatment was the cause of his weight loss, and that doctors said he should be back to normal by spring.

Then, last week, Jobs announced that he would be take a six-month medical leave of absence, stating that his health issues were "more complex than I originally thought."

"The good news flipped by the bad news makes one wonder what Apple knew," Duke University law professor James Cox told Bloomberg.

"It's not surprising for the SEC to come in and look afterward, given the pressure and publicity regarding their handling of a lot of cases."

Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/ahn9x (Bloomberg)

http://snipurl.com/aho0u (DMW previous coverage)