Jobs undergoes liver transplant

• Source: Global Times
• [07:48 June 22 2009]
• Comments

Apple CEO Steve Jobs

Apple chief executive Steve Jobs, on medical leave since January for treatment for an undisclosed condition, apparently underwent a liver transplant about two months ago, the Wall Street Journal reported Saturday.

The newspaper said Jobs is making a good recovery and is expected to return to work on schedule later this month, though he may initially work part time.

Tim Cook, Apple’s chief operating officer, may take on “a more encompassing role” in the running of the company, the WSJ said, adding that Cook may be appointed to Apple’s board of directors in the near future.

Jobs’s health has been source of intense speculation over the past year because the company’s fortunes are uniquely linked to the visionary co-founder who returned after a 12-year hiatus to turn around the flagging tech giant with innovative and wildly successful products such as the iPod and, more recently, the iPhone.

Amid renewed speculation regarding Jobs’ return, Apple launched the hotly-anticipated next-generation iPhone 3GS smartphone on June 19 at 2,200 of its retail stores and at all Apple stores in the United States, resulting in a 2.65-percent hike in Apple shares to $139.48.

Jobs, 54, had previously disclosed he had been diagnosed with a rare form of pancreatic cancer in 2004 but said it had been detected in time and he had undergone surgery to remove it.

However, Jobs announced this January his health issues were “more complex than I originally thought” and he was taking medical leave, putting Cook in charge of day-to-day operations.

If confirmed, the report that Jobs has had a liver transplant would raise new questions about his overall state of health.

Apple had previously drawn criticism from some shareholders over what they have called limited disclosure of Jobs’s health problems.

AFP