Health Forces Jobs to Take Leave From Apple

Cook expected to keep Apple on solid course during CEO's absence

(NEWSER) - Steve Jobs' decision to take medical leave was no surprise to Apple-watchers, and neither is his choice of a replacement. Chief operating officer Tim Cook is a little-known name outside Silicon Valley, but his efficient, low-key approach and symbiotic relationship with Jobs over the last decade has helped transform Apple into the powerhouse it is today, analysts tell the Wall Street Journal. More»

...but just barely, according to new ranking

(NEWSER) - Tim Cook had some big shoes to fill as Apple CEO, but it looks like he's managing. According to a poll on Glassdoor.com, some 97% of employees approve of the new boss' work over the past year—an even higher proportion than the 95% who approved of Steve Jobs the year before. Of course, Cook is probably benefiting from a "honeymoon period," GigaOm notes. Cook leads tech CEOs with the highest approval rating on Glassdoor; Paul Jacobs of Qualcomm and Larry Page of Google round out the top three. More»

But remember, with Apple, nothing is certain: Mashable

(NEWSER) - Apple is holding another one of its big events today, expected to be the unveiling of the iPad 3. Mashable runs down 11 things to watch for when it begins at 1pm ET:

• Tim Cook will be "the main attraction." He may not be as theatrical as Steve Jobs, but he's definitely Apple's biggest gun.
• There will be a lot of buildup. Before answering all your burning questions, Apple will have to build up to the big reveal by hyping its "dazzling" sales and download stats.
• Get ready for Mountain Lion. Apple's new Mac OS won't go on sale until the summer, but its new features will most certainly be previewed.

But he's 'not a product guy'

(NEWSER) - Tim Cook is already, if not remaking, at least tweaking Apple in his image. He’s been streamlining Apple’s corporate structure and changing some of its corporate philosophies, the Wall Street Journal reports. He has, for example, announced that Apple will now match employee donations to charities and nonprofits up to $10,000, something Steve Jobs always opposed. He’s also announced that he’s open to things like stock buybacks that were verboten under Jobs. More»

Delaying surgery was a deadly mistake, expert says

(NEWSER) - Steve Jobs would probably be alive today if he had been less of a skeptic about conventional medicine, according to a Harvard expert who has researched the kind of cancer that killed the Apple CEO. Jobs' preference for alternative medicine—outlined in a 2008 CNN article —caused him to delay surgery after cancer was detected, allowing the disease to spread, Ramzi Amri writes at Quora . Jobs, a vegetarian and a Buddhist, spent nine months trying to avoid surgery by sticking to a special diet, he notes. More»