Steve Jobs to return as scheduled in June: Apple

[nickh]

APPLE said chief executive Steve Jobs, who went on a leave of absence in January for health reasons, is expected to return as scheduled at the end of June.

"We're looking forward to Steve returning at the end of June," Apple chief financial officer Peter Oppenheimer said in a conference call with analysts which followed the release of Apple's second quarter results.

Apple announced on January 14 that Mr Jobs, 54, the visionary behind the culture-changing Macintosh computer, iPod and iPhone, would be taking a leave of absence.

Apple has been notoriously secretive about Mr Jobs's health since he underwent an operation in 2004 for pancreatic cancer.

Apple's fiscal second-quarter net income rose 15 per cent for what the consumer electronics giant called its "best non-holiday quarter" ever, easing concerns that the weak economy may keep consumers from paying the premium prices on the company's products.

More impressively, the company's gross margin of 36.4 per cent was its highest such number in nearly two years. Chief financial officer Peter Oppenheimer said the company's margins benefited from lower commodity prices and better-than-expected sales of new Apple software products.

"We could not be happier with our performance in this economy," Mr Oppenheimer said, adding that he continues to see lower commodity prices in the fiscal third quarter.

Apple, though, did report its first year-over-year sales decline for its Macintosh computer line in six years. Nonetheless, Apple shares - up 55 per cent since its January 20 low - rose 3.5 per cent in extended-hours trading to $US125.78.

For the quarter ended March 28, Apple reported net income of $US1.21 billion, or $US1.33 a share, up from $US1.05 billion, or $US1.16 a share, a year earlier.

Revenue increased 8.7 per cent to $US8.16 billion, with 54 per cent of sales in the US.

Source: Steve Jobs to return as scheduled in June: Apple | Australian IT

[confucious]

I hope he's well, but shouldn't he take this as a warning and slow down? No matter how much he, or anyone else, thinks Apple needs him surely it's not worth risking his health for?
Or maybe he is back to full health - I hope so

[chanquete]

We wish him well, now recovering with a brand new liver.
We also hope he now becomes a great advocate for organ donation and liver transplantation (I don't know if he was already an advocate in the past, but nevertheless).