As the much-anticipated Macworld Conference & Expo begins, Apple CEO Steve Jobs is putting rumors of his health to rest. In a letter addressed to the Apple community, Jobs said he is still in charge and will be the first to inform Apple’s board if his health should get in the way of running the Cupertino, Calif.-based company.
Jobs posted the letter after speculation about his health ran rampant following a December announcement that he would not keynote Apple’s last appearance at Macworld. Vice President Philip Schiller will deliver this year’s keynote on Tuesday.
The CEO said his weight loss throughout last year was not because of his rare form of pancreatic cancer.
“The reason has been a mystery to me and my doctors,” Jobs said. “A few weeks ago, I decided that getting to the root cause of this and reversing it needed to become my #1 priority. Fortunately, after further testing, 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.”
Doctors expect it will take some time before Jobs will regain weight and bring his body mass back to normal, according to Jobs. “The remedy for this nutritional problem is relatively simple and straightforward, and I’ve already begun treatment,” he said.
Jobs, who said he is happy to be spending time with his family during the holidays instead of preparing a speech for Macworld, said he wanted to put rumors about his health to rest so that everyone can just relax and enjoy the show.
“I will continue as Apple’s CEO during my recovery,” he said. “I have given more than my all to Apple for the past 11 years now. I will be the first one to step up and tell our…