Steve Jobs, the head of technology company Apple, has announced he is taking a new leave of absence for health reasons.
Jobs made the announcement in an email to Apple staff on Monday.
"At my request, the board of directors has granted me a medical leave of absence so I can focus on my health. I will continue as CEO [Chief Executive Officer] and be involved in major strategic decisions for the company," Jobs said in his email.
He said that he had asked Tim Cook "to be responsible for all of Apple's day-to-day operations".
"I have great confidence that Tim and the rest of the executive management team will do a terrific job executing the exciting plans we have in place for 2011," he said.
"I love Apple so much and hope to be back as soon as I can. In the meantime, my family and I would deeply appreciate respect for our privacy."
Apple stock fell as much as 7 per cent on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange following the news.
Jobs went on a medical leave in 2009, and later disclosed he had underwent a liver transplant as part of treatment for pancreatic cancer.
Questions about his health have resurfaced periodically since the cancer diagnosis, and have been the subject of much debate among corporate governance experts over the obligations the company has to its shareholders.
Apple's fortunes have been uniquely linked to Jobs, who returned to the company in 1997 after a 12-year absence to turn around the company's fortunes with products such as the iPod and iPhone.
