Apple's Steve Jobs Extends Medical Leave Until June

Apple’s CEO Steve Jobs is to take a medical leave of absence until the end of June in order to receive further treatment for a hormone imbalance.

In an email to Apple staff, Jobs said his “health-related issues are more complex than I originally thought.”

The company’s chief operating officer, Tim Cook, is due to take over Jobs’ responsibilities.

Jobs revealed last week in a letter to the Apple community that a hormone imbalance had been preventing his body from receiving vital proteins.

The illness caused him to lose a significant amount of weight in 2008.

Jobs, who survived pancreatic cancer in 2004, had initially said he would continue to act as Apple's chief executive while he received treatment.

However, in his letter to staff, Jobs said he was taking himself “out of the limelight” in order to focus on his health.

As previously reported on Gigwise, Jobs sparked health fears in December when he announced he would no longer be delivering the keynote speech at Macworld in San Francisco.

Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide product marketing, Phil Shiller, took the CEO’s place last week.

You can read the full email Jobs sent to Apple staff today below:

"Team,

I am sure all of you saw my letter last week sharing something very personal with the Apple community. Unfortunately, the curiosity over my personal health continues to be a distraction not only for me and my family, but everyone else at Apple as well. In addition, during the past week I have learned that my health-related issues are more complex than I originally thought.

In order to take myself out of the limelight and focus on my health, and to allow everyone at Apple to focus on delivering extraordinary products, I have decided to take a medical leave of absence until the end of June.

I have asked Tim Cook to be responsible for Apple’s day to day operations, and I know he and the rest of the executive management team will do a great job. As CEO, I plan to remain involved in major strategic decisions while I am out. Our board of directors fully supports this plan.

I look forward to seeing all of you this summer.

Steve"