Steve Jobs, Apple Inc's chief executive officer (CEO), on Monday announced that he is taking another medical leave, raising new concerns about the company's future.
"At my request, the board of directors has granted me a medical leave of absence so I can focus on my health," Jobs said in a brief email to all Apple employees, which was published on the company's website.
"I love Apple so much and hope to be back as soon as I can," Jobs said, without disclosing in detail about his health conditions.
During his leave, Apple chief operating officer Tim Cook will be responsible for all of the company's day to day operations, said Jobs, noting that he will continue as CEO and "be involved in major strategic decisions for the company."
"I have great confidence that Tim and the rest of the executive management team will do a terrific job executing the exciting plans we have in place for 2011," Jobs said.
Jobs, 55, disclosed in August 2004 that he had been treated for a rare form of pancreatic cancer, saying the tumor was diagnosed in time and he had undergone surgery to remove it.
In the following years, the thin, almost gaunt appearance of Jobs constantly inspired speculations about his health.
In early January 2009, Jobs said his apparent weight loss is caused by a treatable hormone imbalance. But about a week later, he admitted that the issue was more complex than he had thought and then took a medical leave for nearly six months.
In June 2009, Methodist University Hospital Transplant Institute in the U.S. state of Tennessee confirmed that Jobs received a liver transplant at the institute.
