Steve Jobs said he has a "hormone imbalance" in a rare open letter. He says doctors weren't sure what it was until now. He says he will stay with the company. This is the reason he won't be at MacWorld, who can blame him. Unfortunately AAPL will probably suffer from this.
Here is the AP Story:
Apple Inc. founder and chief executive officer Steve Jobs, a survivor of pancreatic cancer, said Monday that a hormone imbalance is to blame for the weight loss that has prompted worries about his health.
Mr. Jobs, 53, said he will undergo a “relatively simple” treatment and will remain in charge of Apple.
“A hormone imbalance ... has been ‘robbing' me of the proteins my body needs to be healthy,” Mr. Jobs said in a public letter, adding, “Sophisticated blood tests have confirmed this diagnosis.”
Investors appeared happy to have some clarity on his health. Apple's shares rose $3.42, 3.8 per cent, to $94.17 (U.S.) in morning trading.
Speculation about his health percolated in 2008 as Mr. Jobs appeared gaunt at public events. Those worries intensified after Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple said in December that Mr. Jobs would not be making his annual keynote address Tuesday in San Francisco at the Macworld conference.
Officially Apple said Mr. Jobs would not take the stage because this year will mark the company's last appearance at the show, which is run by a separate company, the IDG technology media group. Rather than have its CEO speak even as it prepared to wind down its participation in Macworld, Apple said Phil Schiller, an Apple marketing executive, would give the company's presentation.
But while some analysts expected this week's Macworld to help Apple show it could execute its long-term strategy without Mr. Jobs as its public face, others have questioned the company's viability without Mr. Jobs, who has emphasized the design principles that made standouts out of Apple's Mac computers, iPods and iPhones.
But Monday's announcement isn't likely to end the speculation, unless Apple offers more details on Mr. Jobs' condition, AmTech Research analyst Brian Marshall said. Mr. Marshall expects Jobs to step down from the CEO post this year, most likely remaining an adviser to the company.
In his letter Monday, Mr. Jobs said, “I will be the first one to step up and tell our board of directors if I can no longer continue to fulfill my duties as Apple's CEO.”
Mr. Jobs offered few details on his diagnosis, however.
“The remedy for this nutritional problem is relatively simple and straightforward, and I've already begun treatment,” he said. “Just like I didn't lose this much weight and body mass in a week or a month, my doctors expect it will take me until late this spring to regain it.”
The company's board released a statement separately, saying, “Apple is very lucky to have Steve as its leader and CEO, and he deserves our complete and unwavering support during his recuperation. He most certainly has that from Apple and its board.”
Mr. Jobs announced in 2004 that he had undergone successful surgery to treat a form of pancreatic cancer – an islet cell neuroendocrine tumour. The cancer is extremely rare and easily cured if diagnosed early. Jobs did not have a deadlier and more common form of pancreatic cancer, called adenocarcinoma.
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