San Francisco:
As the highly-anticipated biography of late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs readies to hit the shelves on Monday, new details have emerged on the man's hitherto-unknown personal life. In a explosive revelation of sorts, Jobs was reportedly approached by former US President Bill Clinton seeking advice on handling the Monica Lewinsky scandal in 1998.
"Steve Jobs" by Walter Isaacson, to be published Monday, says Jobs in a late night telephonic conversation had advised Clinton after the latter's affair with Lewinsky became public.
"I don't know if you did it, but if so, you've got to tell the country", Jobs told Clinton. The biographer then says that there was "silence on the other end of the line" after the former Apple boss advised Clinton.
The biography also delves into Jobs' fatal tryst with cancer and his regrets about delaying his surgery for nine-long months. Jobs learnt in October 2003 that he had a neuroendocrine tumour - a relatively rare type of pancreatic cancer that normally grows more slowly and is therefore more treatable.
Instead, he tried a vegan diet, acupuncture, herbal remedies and other treatments he found online, and even consulted a psychic. He also was influenced by a doctor who ran a clinic that advised juice fasts, bowel cleansings and other unproven approaches, the book says, before finally having surgery in July 2004.
Isaacson, quoting Jobs, writes in the book: "'I really didn't want them to open up my body, so I tried to see if a few other things would work,' he told me years later with a hint of regret."
Jobs died on October 5, at age 56, after a battle with cancer.
The biography also says Jobs came up with the company's name while he was on a diet of fruits and vegetables, and as a teenager perfected staring at people without blinking.
The book was originally called "iSteve" and scheduled to come out in March. The release date was moved up to November, then, after Jobs' death, to Monday. It is published by Simon & Schuster and will sell for $35.