Cupertino, Calif. - Apple (NASD: AAPL) CEO Steve Jobs has stepped down to take a medical leave of absence, saying in an email to employees that his health 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," Jobs wrote.

With speculation mounting as to the cause of his increasingly gaunt appearance, Jobs, who has battled pancreatic cancer, revealed on Jan. 5 that he was suffering from "a hormone imbalance that has been 'robbing' me of the proteins my body needs to be healthy."

Jobs added at the time that "the remedy for this nutritional problem is relatively simple and straightforward," and "my doctors expect it will take me until late this Spring to regain [the weight]."

Jobs said in his email today to Apple employees that he asked chief operating officer Tim Cook to be responsible for Apple's day to day operations while he is on leave.

Related Links:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10142947-37.html

http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2009/01/05sjletter.html

http://snipurl.com/a25n7 (DMW previous coverage)