SEATTLE // Apple Inc co-founder and chief executive Steve Jobs has said he is taking medical leave until the end of June - just a week after the cancer survivor tried to assure investors and employees his recent weight loss was caused by an easily treatable hormone deficiency. Apple's stock plunged six per cent. Mr Jobs, 53, said in a letter last week that he would remain at Apple's helm despite the hormone problem, and that he had already begun a "relatively simple and straightforward" treatment. But in an email to employees yesterday, Mr Jobs backtracked. "During the past week I have learned that my health-related issues are more complex than I originally thought," he wrote.
Apple's shares have surged and crashed over the last year in step with rumours or news about the chief executive's health and his gaunt appearance. While the top executive's health is an issue for investors in any company, at Apple the level of concern reaches fever pitch because Mr Jobs has a hand in everything from ideas for new products to the way they're marketed. Investors fear that without Mr Jobs, Apple will not be able to sustain its growth of the last decade, which has seen Apple branch out from its Mac computers into the iPod and the iPhone.
Last week, Mr Jobs said his disclosure of his hormone problem was "more than I wanted to say, and all that I am going to say" about his health. * AP