Steve Jobs Still Decision Maker Despite Medical Leave

Steve Jobs, CEO and co-founder of Apple, is still making decisions despite being on medical leave, according to the International Business Times.  His leave was announced on January 17th for unspecified reasons and for an undetermined amount of time.  Jobs has, however, made clear that he will still remain CEO during his leave.  This is the third medical leave for the 55 year-old, who is a pancreatic cancer survivor and was the recipient of a liver transplant in 2009.

Apple has continued with its operations much like it did during Jobs’ other absences.  Jobs is still involved in making the company’s major strategic and product development decisions.  He has reportedly been working from home and according to several sources, has been spotted at the company’s headquarters in Cupertino, CA.  Tim Cook, Chief Operating Officer and Apple’s next possible CEO, is responsible for attending to Jobs’ day-to-day duties.  According to PC World, analysts have speculated that Cook will assume the role of CEO later this year.

Although shareholders have asked for more information about Jobs’ successor, Apple prefers to keep it under wraps much like their product development information.  While Apple’s upcoming products are still shrouded in mystery, there have been many rumors surrounding the iPhone and iPad.

The International Business Times has reported that Apple is working on the next generation of iPhones, which will be cheaper and smaller.  These phones are said to be priced at $200 without a contract and are reported to be carrier-neutral.  Bloomberg described the phone as a third smaller than the iPhone 4 and these models are without the home button.  They will also come with a processor, display, and other components that are similar to the current iPhone model.  PC Magazine details that they will feature dual mode CDMS/GSM chips and a universal SIM card.  With this new model, Apple can appeal to markets that are more price sensitive, like China and India.  Additionally, it can work on effectively competing with the exponentially growing market hare of Android smartphones.  Apple currently captures 16% of the smartphone market, according to International Business Times.

The iPad 2, the next version of Apple’s popular iPad tablet, is said to be lighter and thinner according to the Economic Times.  It is also reported to have a front-facing camera.