Sachin=GOD Posted January 17, 2011 Posted January 17, 2011 SAN FRANCISCO: Apple chief executive Steve Jobs announced he is taking a new leave of absence from the technology company "so I can focus on my health." The announcement, which could be a shock to the high-flying tech giant, came with US markets closed for the Martin Luther King Jr holiday. Apple shares had tumbled in late 2008 when rumors swirled about his health after he failed to show at the Macworld Expo. "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 an email to Apple employees. "I will continue as CEO and be involved in major strategic decisions for the company," the e-mail read. Without specifying his health issues, Jobs said he had asked Tim Cook "to be responsible for all of Apple's day to day operations" in his absence. "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. "I love Apple so much and hope to be back as soon as I can. In the meantime, my family and I would deeply appreciate respect for our privacy." Jobs went on a medical leave of nearly six months in 2009, and later disclosed he had underwent a liver transplant. The company's fortunes have been uniquely linked to Jobs, who returned to the company in 1997 after a 12-year absence to turn around the flagging tech giant with innovative and wildly successful products like the iPod and iPhone. Jobs's underwent an operation in 2004 for pancreatic cancer, which was kept under wraps until years later. Questions about Jobs' health have resurfaced periodically since the cancer diagnosis, and have been the subject of much debate among corporate governance experts over the obligations the company has to its shareholders. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/news/hardware/Steve-Jobs-to-go-on-medical-leave/articleshow/7305792.cms
Ram Posted January 18, 2011 Posted January 18, 2011 Obviously, this will not impact Apple’s products and solutions in any way. They will continue to make great products that set the trend for the rest of the industry. But Jobs is the public face of the company, he is their point-man when it comes to PR. Jobs has this unique, yet bizarre ability of being able to sound convincing, even when his argument is quite weak. When iPhone 4 was first launched and there was all this controversy reg. the signal strength dropping dramatically dropping when the phone was held in a particular way, it was his press-conference that helped turn the tide of bad pubclity. Right until that moment, the internet was abuzz with how this could possibly be Apple’s Waterloo. Jobs did that press conference and almost immediately, all the talk of the iPhone 4 almost stopped. That is where he adds the maximum value to the company. There’s a lot of love/trust for Jobs among the consumer, most of which is based on a strong anti-microsoft feeling. He’s the one who’s looked upon as someone who stood up to Gates and the marauding Microsoft empire.
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