Gizmodo is reporting that the real reason for Apple subbing Phil Schiller for the keynote and exiting MacWorld after 2009 is Steve Jobs “rapidly” declining health:

“Steves health is rapidly declining. Apple is choosing to remove the hype factor strategically vs letting the hype destroy apple when the inevitable news comes later this spring.”

CNBC’s Jim Goldman, however, is reporting the opposite:

“I was told two weeks ago by sources inside Apple that the decision had nothing to do with Jobs' health. I got the same message today. Period.I will say again: if Apple is lying, holding some truth back, manipulating its own stock by manipulating the truth, someone — indeed a lot of people — could be going to jail. Do I like the way Apple has handled this ongoing story? No. But do I traffic in rumors to fill the void the company has created by not choosing to be more forthcoming about Jobs' health? Absolutely not.”

So who are we to believe? The Gizmodo rumor is just that, a rumor and Goldman presents the compelling argument that if the rumor turns out to be true, a bunch of people would go to jail. We just can’t see Apple execs being stupid enough to take that risk.

Tags:steve jobs, rumor