Source is National Enquirer but Jobs has been battling deadly pancreatic cancer and is on his third medical leave in the past several years.
CTV Calgary
Apple's future uncertain without Steve Jobs: author
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Three file photos, from left, January 2010, July 2010 and October 2010, show Apple CEO Steve Jobs. (AP Photo)
Updated: Fri Feb. 18 2011 06:46:14
CTV.ca News Staff
He is the face of one of the biggest tech companies in the world. But with rumours swirling that Apple CEO Steve Jobs is dying, many observers are wondering about the future of the company he co-founded.
The supermarket tabloid, the National Enquirer reported this week that Jobs has just six weeks left to live.
It says the billionaire is being treated at the Stanford Cancer Center in Palo Alto, California, the same hospital where actor Patrick Swayze sought treatment before his pancreatic cancer death. The Enquirer also posted grainy photos of what it says is Jobs, looking extremely gaunt.
While the predictions of Jobs' imminent death appear to be guesswork of Enquirer reporters, it's likely that Jobs' health is poor. Last month, the 55-year-old stepped away from Apple to take his third medical leave in seven years.
The tabloid reports likely won't affect Apple's stock prices today – particularly given the source of the rumours. But the possibility of Jobs' death is raising questions about the long-term health of his company.
Apple's identity has long been closely linked to its founding CEO, who helped create unique, coveted products and made his company one of the best known brands on the planet, despite intense competition from the corporate behemoth that is Microsoft.
Jeffery Young, the co-author of the book "Icon Steve Jobs: The Greatest Second Ain the History of Business" says Jobs' illness is coming at a time when Apple is faced with a brand new Microsoft vs. Apple standoff.
"They're facing a challenge that's akin to what happened with Windows vs. Macintosh back in the 80s and 90s, where one very well-heeled challenger offered its operating environment to many different users at many companies to build its products," Young told CTV's Canada AM via Skype from San Francisco, Calif.
"The same thing is happening now in the tablet and iPhone markets, where there are many different players and many products all competing against apple with its integrated platform."
Young says he's not convinced that Jobs won't return to lead Apple again. However, the implications for Apple from Jobs departure are "significant," he believes.
"Not so much in the short term – I think Apple will continue to execute and deliver the products. I think the real risk for Apple is in the mid-term, in the next couple of years, because it's facing a major challenge from Google and Android in both the tablet and the iPhone markets.
"That's going to require the kind of insight and foresight that the company will be hard pressed to deliver without Steve there."
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