Apple CEO Steve Jobs Taking Medical Leave Of Absence

Steve Jobs plans to take a medical leave of absence from Apple until June, to focus on his medical conditions, which, he said in a statement on the Apple Web site, "are more complex than I originally thought." Apple COO Tim Cook will oversee day-to-day operations."I look forward to seeing all of you this summer," he wrote.

Jobs, 53, was treated for a rare, treatable form of pancreatic cancer in 2004, and his gaunt apperance at the iPhone 3G launch stirred speculation that his health was taking a turn for the worse. That speculation got hotter when Apple announced in December that it was pulling out of Macworld, and Jobs would not deliver his keynote. Last week, Jobs published a statement that he was experiencing uncontrolled weight loss last year, which had been diagnosed as a hormone imbalance, and he expected to regain the lost weight by spring.

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Our prayers for a speedy recovery are with Mr. Jobs and his friends and family.

Updated 5:30 pm EST to attribute the report directly to Apple, previously we'd seen it on a couple of reliable blogs.