Jobs Taking Leave from Apple

It has been reported that Steve Jobs, CEO and co-founder of Apple Inc. (AAPL - Analyst Report) will take a 6-month leave of absence from his responsibilities at Apple.

His health has been a matter of concern for some time, and conjecture about it has had an impact on the stock price. His hormone deficiency is apparently more serious than previously indicated.

Apple is a large company. Its strategies and "road map" have been in place for some time. Its management has depth, since Steve Jobs has not been the COO for many years. I would not expect any significant impact on revenue or profits due to his absence.

The company has prospered with new products every 5 or 6 years. Since the iPhone is two years old we would not have expected a new direction from Apple until 2010.

By then we should know more about his health.

Read the full analyst report on AAPL.