Concern is mounting over the ill health of Apple boss Steve Jobs after it was revealed that he will not be attending the all important Apple Worldwide Developers Conference in June when the company is tipped to be launching a new iPhone and a new tablet device.
Last night, Apple said that Steve Jobs will not be delivering the keynote address at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference with speculation now mounting that he may never return to the company.
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Insiders claim that his health is still “poor” and there is “real concern” for him.
Apple confirmed in January 2009 that Jobs would step down from his post temporarily while recuperating from a hormone inbalance. Earlier this month, Jobs sent a message to his local Council claiming that he was too ill to attend a Council meeting, where renovations to his Californian home were set to be discussed.
Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing, will instead deliver the keynote on June 8 in San Francisco.
A guest appearance from Jobs has not been ruled out. However it had been hotly anticipated that he would make his return from sick leave at this event and open the conference.
In an email to Apple staff Jobs wrote “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.”
Tim Cook, Apple’s chief operating officer, took over running the company in Jobs’ absence.