Jobs used bravado, charisma as public face of Apple

By Nichola Groom

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Steve Jobs became a household name as the founder and chief executive of Apple Inc, marshaling his bravado and charisma to drive the innovation machine behind the iPod and iPhone.

Deemed irreplaceable by legions of Apple fans and investors alike, Jobs said on Wednesday he would take a medical leave of absence until the end of June because his health problems are "more complex" than he had thought.

Jobs, 53, turned around the once moribund Apple in large part due to the blockbuster success of the ubiquitous iPod digital music player.

A showman, he often unveiled the latest Apple products at trade shows and conferences amid cheers and applause from thousands of software developers, customers and employees.

"Steve Jobs is Apple," said Tim Ghriskey, chief investment officer of Solaris Asset Management in New York, which holds Apple shares. "Certainly the company will continue, but Steve Jobs has been a visionary and very active in design."

In past months, however, questions about his health and his ability to lead the company he created have overshadowed his past achievements and clouded his future prospects.

Industry and investor fears about Jobs' health have not dimmed in more than a year, especially after he appeared dramatically thinner in public last summer. At the time, Apple said he was fighting a "common bug" and taking antibiotics.

Rumors abounded on blogs about whether Jobs, a pancreatic cancer survivor, was suffering from complications related to the disease. Then, nine days ago, Jobs sought to soothe concerns by saying his weight loss was caused by a hormone imbalance that was relatively simple to treat.