Steve Jobs, the man responsible for turning Apple into the tech giant that it is today, has announced today that he is taking another medical leave of absence from the company.
Although he doesn't go into details about what his medical reasons are, he insists in a memo sent to Apple staff that he will still be involved in the major decisions of the company. Tim Cook, the company's Chief Operating Officer, will handle the company's day-to-day operations. He offered no timetable of his return, simply saying that he hopes to return as soon as possible. However, he did allude to the possibility that he may not return this year.
This is Jobs' second medical leave in two years. In 2009, he left the company to get a liver transplant. Jobs is also a survivor of pancreatic cancer, which he battled in the early 2000's. The New York Times cited sources claiming that Jobs looked frail in recent appearances.
Jobs' absence from the company certainly couldn't come at a more troubling time. Apple is on the cusp of announcing two of the most anticipated tech products of the year, the iPad 2 and the iPhone 5, due in April and June/July, respectively. Verizon just announced that they would be releasing an iteration of the iPhone in February, to much fanfare. News of his leave caused Apple's stock to drop significantly in the German stock market. Trading in the United States was suspended because of the observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The stock market reopens tomorrow, when Apple will also offer it's financial sales report.
I hope that Steve Jobs gets better soon. Meanwhile, do you think that Apple will be fine without it's iconic leader?
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
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