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Apple s magician Steve Jobs on medical leave again(Times of Oman Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) LONDON: Steve Jobs has changed the course of personal computing during his two stints as chief executive of Apple, while his idiosyncratic style and the iconic iPod, iPhone, iPad and Mac have made him a household name. Deemed irreplaceable by many Apple fans and investors, pancreatic cancer survivor Jobs said on Monday he would take a medical leave of absence to concentrate on his health -- two years after a previous health-related absence. The 55-year-old Apple co-founder said nothing about the nature of his latest medical concerns despite widespread criticism over the inadequacy of past disclosures about his health. During his past illnesses, showman Jobs continued to unveil the latest Apple products at glitzy company events, leaving customers, employees and analysts alike to speculate on his gaunt appearance. Jobs revived Apple s fortunes after a 12-year absence in large part due to a passion for design that produced the phenomenally popular iPod. More than a quarter of a billion of the digital music players have been sold since the first one was released in 2001. In 2007, Apple transformed the cellphone market with the touchscreen iPhone, dubbed the "Jesus phone" for its quasi-religious following, and a year ago Apple created a whole new market for tablet computers with the launch of the iPad. "Steve Jobs is seen by the market to be a major force in Apple s strategic direction," Richard Windsor, global technology specialist at Nomura, said on Monday. In recent years, however, questions about his health and his ability to lead the company he created have threatened to overshadow his past achievements and cloud his prospects. After recovering from a rare and highly treatable form of pancreatic cancer in 2004, Jobs took medical leave for the first half of 2009, saying his health issues were more complex than a "hormonal imblanace" he had previously complained of. Rumours abounded on blogs about whether he was suffering from complications related to his previous tumour. He later said he had a liver transplant during this period. Now, some analysts are betting that Jobs could even be getting ready to step down for good and hand Apple over to an unknown successor -- possibly Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook, who has run the company before in Jobs s absence. (c) 2011 Muscat Press and Publishing House SAOC Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company |