In a memo distributed to Apple employees this morning, Steve Jobs announced that he is going to be taking a medical leave of absence from his post as CEO. COO Tim Cook will be acting on Jobs' behalf with regards to day-to-day operations at the company, although Jobs mentioned that he would still be involved in top-level strategy decisions. Jobs also requested privacy for he and his family while he dealt with the undisclosed medical issues.
This is the second time in two years that Jobs has taken a medical leave from Apple and his health struggles have been well documented. He was originally treated for Pancreatic cancer in 2004, then received a liver transplant in 2009, after which he was away from Apple for six months.
With the recent announcement that Apple's iPhone will be available on the Verizon Wireless network, there don't appear to be too many major announcements in the pipeline. Given the timing of Jobs' announcement it is difficult to discern whether he had been planning the leave for some time - perhaps for a new procedure - or if this is something that developed very recently.
Given Jobs' penchant for privacy, it's unlikely that any definitive information will be released about his health until he returns to the company, assuming that occurs at some point in the future. Apple is scheduled to release an earnings report on Tuesday.
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