Steve Jobs resigned Wednesday as chief executive of Apple, marking an end to his 14-year reign at the consumer electronics giant he co-founded in a garage.
I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple's CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come, he said in a brief letter announcing his resignation.
The 55-year-old briefly emerged from his medical leave in March to unveil the iPad 2 tablet computer, and later to attend a dinner hosted by President Barack Obama for technology leaders in Silicon Valley.
He also appeared this summer at Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference in San Francisco to introduce iOS 5, and the forthcoming iCloud service.
The wording and timing of the announcement raised questions about Jobs' health, who was diagnosed with a rare form of pancreatic cancer in 2004 and underwent a liver transplant two years ago.
In 2008, Jobs lost a lot of weight, and Apple put out the following statement:
...my doctors think they have found the cause - a hormone imbalance that has been 'robbing' me of the proteins my body needs to be healthy.... The remedy for this nutritional problem is relatively simple and straightforward, and I've already begun treatment.
Neither the company nor Jobs has mentioned his health since he took a leave in January, telling employees in an internal memo he had learned that my health-related issues are more complex than I originally thought.
Most of the day-to-day duties were handed over to chief operating officer Tim Cook, who will become the new CEO effective immediately.
Apple shares slid to $357.40 in extended trading after a brief halt. They had gained 0.7 percent to close at $376.18 on the Nasdaq.
Apple Computer Corp. on Sept. 16 named Steven Jobs as Interim chief executive officer two months after Gil Amelio resigned from the position. Jobs is shown at a press conference at the first international NEXTWORLD Expo in San Francisco Jan. 22, 1992. COMPUTERS APPLEReutersWith a projected image of the new Apple PowerBook G3 behind him, acting Apple CEO Steve Jobs speaks during a presentation of Apple's new G3 line of Macintoshes and PowerBooks at the Flint Centre in Cupertino on Nov. 10. Jobs also outlined Apple's new marketing campaign. APPLE
ReutersApple Computer's Interim CEO Steve Jobs delivers the keynote speech at the MacWorld Expo at San Francisco's Marriott Hotel, January 6. Stock in Apple jumped 20 percent after Jobs said it expects to report a profit for its most recent quarter, a quicker return to profitability than analysts had expected. "We are thrilled that our new plans are beginning to work," Jobs, said. "While there is still lots of work to do, Apple is clearly coming back as a major player." Jobs said Apple expects to report a profit of $45 million for the quarter just ended, the first quarter of its fiscal year. APPLEReutersApple Computer CEO Steve Jobs holds a box containing Apple's new Mac OS X operating system while giving the keynote address at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference in San Jose, California, May 21, 2001. Jobs announced that as of today, May 21, Apple would be pre-installing Mac OS X on all new Apple computers.ReutersApple CEO Steve Jobs announces the opening of Apple's first retail store during a press conference in at Tyson's Corner in McLean, Virginia, May 15, 2001. Jobs said that Apple hopes to eventually open 25 retail stores in the U.S. and that the first two stores will open this weekend.
ReutersApple CEO Steve Jobs stands by the new iMac computer as he addresses the Apple Expo in Paris September 17. The iMac computer sells in France for under 10,000 Francs. MAL/MEReutersApple Computer CEO Steve Jobs gestures during his keynote address at the Macworld Conference and Expo in San Francisco on January 7, 2003. Jobs introduced a new 17 inch screen Apple G4 Powerbook laptop computer during his addressReutersApple CEO Steve Jobs holds up Apple's new Mini Mac computer which he introduced at the Macworld Conference in San Francisco January 11, 2005. The Mini Mac is a very small $499 computer that aims to make inroads against the traditionally more affordable PC market. Around Jobs' neck is Apple's new Ipod Shuffle, a digital music player which will retail for $99.ReutersApple Computer Inc. founder Steve Jobs poses with the company's new Power Mac G4 Cube, after his keynote adddress at the Macworld Conference and Exposition in New York on July 19. The G4 Cube, which Jobs said combines the power of the Power Mac G4 with the style and miniaturization of an iMac, comes in an 8-inch cube suspended in a clear enclosure.ReutersApple CEO Steve Jobs pulls the new iPod nano out of his jeans pocket after introducing it at an event in San Francisco. Apple CEO Steve Jobs pulls the new iPod nano out of his jeans pocket after introducing it at an event in San Francisco, California September 7, 2005. The nano weighs 1.5 ounces and is one-fifth the size of the original iPod. Apple said on Wednesday that it would introduce the new iPod digital music player, which would hold up to 1,000 songs and be thinner than a standard No. 2 pencil. Two versions of the new player, costing $199 and $249, would begin shipping immediately, Jobs saidReutersApple Computer Inc Chief Executive Steve Jobs displays the new iPod during a press conference in San Jose, California, October 12, 2005. Apple Computer Inc. on Wednesday introduced a version of its market-leading iPod that also plays videos and unveiled a deal [with Walt Disney Co. to sell television shows like ``Desperate Housewives'' after their first broadcastReutersApple Computer Inc. Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs holds the new iPhone in San Francisco, California January 9, 2007. ReutersApple CEO Steve Jobs smiles during the Macworld Convention and Expo in San Francisco, California January 15, 2008. REUTERS/Robert Galbraith ReutersApple CEO Steve Jobs unveils the latest improvements to the company's Mac software during a news conference at Apple Inc. headquarters in Cupertino, California, October 20, 2010. Apple is looking to increase market share gains against Microsoft Windows-based PCs. In the quarter that just ended, Mac revenue was $4.9 billion, less than a quarter of Apple's overall revenue.ReutersBelgian Patricia Lefranc reacts after listening to the verdict in the trial of Richard Remes in a court in Brussels March 21, 2012. Remes, a 57-year-old Belgian, was facing charges of attempted murder of Lefranc, his ex-girlfriend, in 2009 by spraying acid on her face and body. REUTERS/Yves Herman
