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| Frail: Steve Jobs is helped into a car by a friend outside his home in California |
Looking
gaunt and frail, this is Steve Jobs seen for the first time since his surprise
departure from Apple last week.
This
picture, taken outside the technology mogul’s California home, fuelled fears
that Jobs was nearing the end in his eight-year battle with pancreatic cancer.
The
56-year-old Apple founder looked even thinner than he did during his last
public appearance two months ago.
Jobs, who
founded Apple in his garage in 1976, seemed almost too weak to hold himself up
as he prepared to get into a waiting car in Palo Alto, northern California.
He wore a
black long-sleeved T-shirt, black shorts and sandals instead of his familiar turtleneck
and jeans for the trip to nearby San Francisco, the city where he was born.
Jobs made
no direct reference to his health problems in his letter of resignation to the
Apple board last week.
He wrote
only that he had always said he would step down as CEO if he felt he could no
longer do the job to his high standards.
A steady
stream of flowers and gifts have arrived since the announcement at the house
where he has mostly remained behind closed doors with his wife and four
children.
Jobs had
surgery to remove a tumour after being diagnosed with a rare type of pancreatic
cancer in 2003 and had a liver transplant two years ago in a further attempt to
prevent the spread of the disease.
Although
Apple shares took a 5 per cent hit after Mr Jobs stepped down, market fears
were allayed because he was staying on as chairman.
Now the
picture underlines the fact that he is unlikely to play any major role in the
day-to-day running of the company he founded in his garage in 1976.
Jobs went
on medical leave in January, but still introduced the second generation iPad a
couple of months later and has led the development of the iPhone 5 and iPad3.
On the day
Job's announced his resignation, Apple board member Art Levinson, chairman of
Genentech, issued the following statement on behalf of the Apple board:
'Steve's extraordinary vision and leadership saved Apple and guided it to its
position as the world's most innovative and valuable technology company.
'Steve has
made countless contributions to Apple's success, and he has attracted and
inspired Apple's immensely creative employees and world class executive team.
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| Gaunt: Steve Jobs in 2001 (left) and speaking in March this year at the iPad2 launch |
Though his
resignation letter was short and to the point, it was obviously full of emotion
as he thanked 'the best friends he made for life' at the billion dollar
company.
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He is seen
as the heart and soul of Apple, with analysts and investors repeatedly
expressing concern over how the company, based in Cupertino, California, would
handle his departure.
He has now
been replaced by former Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook.
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| Old and new: A young Steve Jobs holds the Apple II computer in 1977 (left) and in 1994 |
Cook ran
Apple when Jobs went on medical leave and has taken over day-to-day operations
since early this year, with the company racking up record revenue and profit.
He was
previously responsible for Apple's worldwide sales and operations, including
management of the supply chain, sales activities, and service and support in
all markets and countries, according to ABC.
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| Gadget: Steve Jobs unveils the iPad in January 2010, it quickly| became a big seller |
He has been
at the company since 1998 and was recently given a $5million bonus as well as
75,000 restricted stock units as a thank you for his 'outstanding performance'.
Apple
officially became the most valuable
company in America this month and is now worth $338billion, $1billion more than
Exxon Mobil.
Pancreatic
cancers are generally some of the most lethal of all tumours, and the most
common type often kills within six months.
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| Concerns: In April Steve Jobs seemed frail sparking speculation he may resign |
Jobs has
battled a less common variety that grows far more slowly and develops in the
hormone-secreting section of the pancreas, according to USA Today.
Although
diagnosed in 2003, his illness was not disclosed until the following year,
after he'd had surgery.
The
fiercely private CEO has said relatively little about his health problems,
although he did acknowledge his bout with cancer during a commencement speech
at Stanford University, saying: 'No one wants to die. And yet death is the
destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it.'
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