As expected, the content quickly vanished from the web after the mistake was discovered. Bloomberg posted the following announcement to clear things out:

“Story Referencing Apple Was Sent in Error by Bloomberg News

Aug. 27 (Bloomberg) — An incomplete story referencing Apple Inc. was inadvertently published by Bloomberg News at 4:27 p.m. New York time today. The item was never meant for publication and has been retracted.

—Editor: Joe Winski, Cesca Antonelli”

Although it may seem a bit dark to have such a material always ready to go to print if needed, do keep in mind that news is still a business and, as in every business, one needs to be prepared for future, yet predictable events.

If you’re interested to see what Bloomberg had to say about Jobs on 17 pages, you can find the entire obituary posted here.

As for Apple, the Cupertino company chose to remain silent for the time being. Still, if the PR department is looking for the right answer for Bloomberg, they should read the following. It’s what Mark Twain decided to announced after having read the news of his death in a local newspaper:

“The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated. ”