Apple's Steve Jobs prioritizing next-gen iPad, iPhone on medical leave
While on medical leave for undisclosed health issues, Apple CEO Steve Jobs continues to work from home, remaining especially involved in work on the second-generation iPad and the next version of the iPhone, according to a new report.
The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that, as expected, Jobs has stayed "closely involved in the company's strategic decisions and product development" during a medical leave to focus on his health, according to people familiar with the matter.
Sources say Jobs has been holding business meetings at his home and on the phone. He has also been seen at the company's Cupertino, Calif., campus and around Palo Alto, Calif., with a company executive.
Apple announced in January that Jobs would take a medical leave of absence for the second time in two years. At the time, Jobs wrote in a press release that he would "continue as CEO and be involved in major strategic decisions for the company."
According to the Journal's sources, Jobs continues to work on "the next version of the iPad tablet computer, expected out in the next couple of months, and a new iPhone, expected to be released this summer."
Sources also reported that day-to-day operations remain "nearly unchanged" under COO Tim Cook, although some said there is a "sense of sadness" because of concerns about Jobs' health. Cook also managed operations for the company while Jobs took his previous leave, earning $59 million in the process.
Though pundits have speculated about Jobs' reasons for his leave of absence, the exact nature of his condition remains unclear. People who have seen Jobs in recent months have said that he "continues to look thin." Sources also told the Journal that Apple and Jobs "appear to be going about things in much the same way as they did during his previous medical leave, at the time of his transplant."
Jobs had reportedly been on a "down cycle" in the weeks prior to the announcement of his medical leave. An anonymous source told The New York Times that he suffers from "immune system issues common with people who have received liver transplants" and had only been coming into the office two days a week.
According to the Journal's report, some developers are holding out for the annual Worldwide Developers Conference in early June, possibly June 5 to June 9, to assess the situation. "App developers are waiting to see if Steve will come back to give the keynote at WWDC," said Vishal Gurbuxani, a co-founder of mobile-ad company Mobclix Inc.
Analysts have spoken out to reassure investors over the leave of absence. Jobs' time away "is a concern because people view [Jobs] as the head innovator, but...I feel Apple can continue down its path with or without Steve," said Mike Binger, fund manager at Thrivent Asset Management.
Shares of Apple stock fell shortly after news of Jobs' leave, but have since recovered as investors remained bullish at the prospect of continued sales growth of the iPhone and iPad.
The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that, as expected, Jobs has stayed "closely involved in the company's strategic decisions and product development" during a medical leave to focus on his health, according to people familiar with the matter.
Sources say Jobs has been holding business meetings at his home and on the phone. He has also been seen at the company's Cupertino, Calif., campus and around Palo Alto, Calif., with a company executive.
Apple announced in January that Jobs would take a medical leave of absence for the second time in two years. At the time, Jobs wrote in a press release that he would "continue as CEO and be involved in major strategic decisions for the company."
According to the Journal's sources, Jobs continues to work on "the next version of the iPad tablet computer, expected out in the next couple of months, and a new iPhone, expected to be released this summer."
Sources also reported that day-to-day operations remain "nearly unchanged" under COO Tim Cook, although some said there is a "sense of sadness" because of concerns about Jobs' health. Cook also managed operations for the company while Jobs took his previous leave, earning $59 million in the process.
Though pundits have speculated about Jobs' reasons for his leave of absence, the exact nature of his condition remains unclear. People who have seen Jobs in recent months have said that he "continues to look thin." Sources also told the Journal that Apple and Jobs "appear to be going about things in much the same way as they did during his previous medical leave, at the time of his transplant."
Jobs had reportedly been on a "down cycle" in the weeks prior to the announcement of his medical leave. An anonymous source told The New York Times that he suffers from "immune system issues common with people who have received liver transplants" and had only been coming into the office two days a week.
According to the Journal's report, some developers are holding out for the annual Worldwide Developers Conference in early June, possibly June 5 to June 9, to assess the situation. "App developers are waiting to see if Steve will come back to give the keynote at WWDC," said Vishal Gurbuxani, a co-founder of mobile-ad company Mobclix Inc.
Analysts have spoken out to reassure investors over the leave of absence. Jobs' time away "is a concern because people view [Jobs] as the head innovator, but...I feel Apple can continue down its path with or without Steve," said Mike Binger, fund manager at Thrivent Asset Management.
Shares of Apple stock fell shortly after news of Jobs' leave, but have since recovered as investors remained bullish at the prospect of continued sales growth of the iPhone and iPad.
Comments
He should build his house and enjoy it. He totally needs to retire. His job is done.
Write some memoirs... or not. Long life Steve.
I vote for memoirs and a movie - sooner than later, so Steve can be at the Oscars to accept his statuette. Best wishes Steve, get a good publisher and screenwriter, and please let us in on a remarkable life that continues to astonish everyone!
p.s. i think most apple fans know steve will have made sure apple will remain a juggernaut long after he retires (anyone remember the internal education program?)
If I were in Steve's situation I would never be heard from again.
He should build his house and enjoy it. He totally needs to retire. His job is done.
Write some memoirs... or not. Long life Steve.
I'm not sure Steve would know what to do with himself if he was not working. Memoirs - that would take the better part of a year. Then what?
I think he should reduce his day-to-day involvement as CEO and continue to provide strategic direction as Chairman of the Board. But, I suspect he could not resist in "helping" to get products "just right".
Whatever he chooses will be the right choice for him.
If I were in Steve's situation I would never be heard from again.
He should build his house and enjoy it. He totally needs to retire. His job is done.
Write some memoirs... or not. Long life Steve.
It's not work or a job for him. He loves what he does, why would he want to stop doing it?
If you had a passion for what you do, you'd know what I'm talking about.
If I were in Steve's situation I would never be heard from again.
He should build his house and enjoy it. He totally needs to retire. His job is done.
Write some memoirs... or not. Long life Steve.
I think Steve should do whatever he wants to do and whatever makes him happy. He clearly doesn't have to work so he must continue to work because that's what makes him happy. You are in my prayers Steve!
It's not work or a job for him. He loves what he does, why would he want to stop doing it?
If you had a passion for what you do, you'd know what I'm talking about.
Exactly.
Steve doesn't run Apple because he has to. He does it because he wants to. His salary is one dollar a year. He makes $30+ million a year in Disney dividends; he could just sit on a beach and read books. He doesn't need to work.
Steves devotion and intrique are his motivation for continuing to be active in Apple.
And make no mistake Apple is set up to continue with some of the finest talent in the industry.
If I were in Steve's situation I would never be heard from again.
He should build his house and enjoy it. He totally needs to retire. His job is done.
Write some memoirs... or not. Long life Steve.
You don't understand. Innovation and entrepreneurship is what drives him. In a way, he is a bit like Kubica (F1), a true blooded racing driver.
It's not work or a job for him. He loves what he does, why would he want to stop doing it?
If you had a passion for what you do, you'd know what I'm talking about.
I think most people know what it means to love their work. But often the best way to start hating the work you love is to do it for too long. It's easy to forget, but Steve has faced new and very different challenges in his career every ten to fifteen years. He may very well thrive on that more than we realize.
I think most people know what it means to love their work.
Really, you think? I think most people like their job as much as they can ... given that they "do it for the money" .... how many of us would continue to go to work each day, if they owned several billion $$$ in stocks/bonds/cash. Not many, I think.
But often the best way to start hating the work you love is to do it for too long.
That's just a nonsense statement. If you truly love your work you want to do it until you cannot do it anymore. You can only start to hate your work if you never truly loved it in the first place. .... not that much different than for any relationship.
Really, you think? I think most people like their job as much as they can ... given that they "do it for the money" .... how many of us would continue to go to work each day, if they owned several billion $$$ in stocks/bonds/cash. Not many, I think...
Well, I am at a stage where theoretically I can sit on my ass for about a year playing online games, then after that live off my parents.
But I'm getting dead bored so hopefully if it works out (things are in motion) I will be helping a new WiMax telco in my country with developing iOS and Android apps... I'm not too concerned about being able to code myself, since there's a lot to do as well with concept, usability, project management and so on.
Sitting here thinking what my 30's will be about, reflecting on what my 20's were. I'll be 33 this year. For me, "childhood" went up until I was 20 (I was a late bloomer, no doubt about it). Then in my 20's I was able to explore a lot of my interests and travel the world. Got in a groove with web development. But this decade app development will be the cutting edge, not web.
Apple. Mobility (beyond just phones). Other Players.
Can you imagine the days when WAP was supposed to be *the* mobile internet thing?
http://thedivinecode.com/blog/?p=61
I'm surprised no one posted this blog post yet
http://thedivinecode.com/blog/?p=61
Care to summarize it for us before sending us to an external link?
Exactly.
Steve doesn't run Apple because he has to. He does it because he wants to. His salary is one dollar a year. He makes $30+ million a year in Disney dividends; he could just sit on a beach and read books. He doesn't need to work.
and after seeing the Dell streak 7 it certainly isn't out of fear of the competition...