Jobs admits he's suffering from "hormone imbalance," still CEO

Hoping to quell a firestorm of rumors about his health, Apple's CEO says he's undergoing treatment for a "nutritional problem" and is "not on my deathbed."

In the statement, published Monday morning—just a day before the Macworld keynote that he's slated to skip—Steve Jobs acknowledges that he's been "losing weight throughout 2008."

The reason? A "hormone imbalance that has been 'robbing' me of the proteins my body needs to be healthy"—and not, apparently, a recurrence of cancer (for which Jobs was treated back in 2004).

Jobs goes on to say that the "remedy … is relatively simple and straightforward" and that he's "already begun treatment." No details on what the treatment entails, though, and Jobs warns that it'll be months ("late this Spring") before he regains his lost weight.

He also (indirectly) promises that he is well enough to continue running Apple. "I will be the first one to step up and tell our Board of Directors if I can no longer continue to fulfill my duties as Apple's CEO," he writes.

Clearly, Jobs is hoping his open letter will make the tech community—not to mention Apple's investors—"relax," stop worrying about his frail appearance (not to mention the recent rumors that he's at death's door), and "enjoy the show tomorrow."

But Jobs' statement is a slippery one. He briefly refers to tomorrow's Macworld keynote—the first in a decade that he won't be delivering—but doesn't specifically say whether his "nutritional problem" is (or isn't) the reason he's skipping the event. Reports late last month had it that Jobs' decision to pull out of the Macworld keynote was "more about politics than his pancreas." So, what's the story?

Indeed, he doesn't directly say that he's fit enough to continue serving as CEO, merely that he'll be "the first one to step up" and announce that he's not.

Why is Jobs' health an issue at all? Because he's the head of a publicly owned corporation, and he has an obligation to disclose information that could affect Apple's welfare—and yes, the stock price.

In any case, today's statement will focus even more attention on tomorrow's Macworld keynote. Will Apple VP Phil Schiller make any reference to Jobs' health? Will Steve himself make an appearance? We shall see.