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Report: Jobs still in control at Apple

Apple's CEO is running keys parts of the company from home during his six-month medical leave, sources tell The Wall Street Journal.

Natalie Weinstein Former Senior Editor / News
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Natalie Weinstein

Steve Jobs may be down, but he is by no means out, according to a report Saturday in The Wall Street Journal.

Apple's CEO has been on medical leave since January, but sources tell the Journal that Jobs is still running key parts of the company from his home.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduces new MacBooks in October, his last public appearance. James Martin/CNET

He was, for example, specifically involved in the user interface for the latest version of the iPhone operating system, continues to review products, and is working on future projects, sources told the newspaper. He has made no public appearances this year.

Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook is running day-to-day operations until Jobs' planned return at the end of June.

Jobs went on medical leave around the same time that people started speculating about why the already-slim Jobs had noticeably lost more weight. Jobs was treated five years ago for pancreatic cancer. The reasons for his current leave are still a mystery.

At first, Jobs pinned his weight loss on a hormone imbalance. But soon after, he said that the condition was more complicated than he'd thought and that he would be taking a six-month leave of absence.

Apple won't comment on how Jobs' absence affects the company on a daily basis. "We're just trying to do what we do every day," Apple Senior Vice President of Marketing Phil Schiller told the Journal.

Jobs didn't respond to the Journal's requests for comment.