London: Apple founder and CEO Steve Jobs has terminal pancreatic cancer and may live for just six more weeks, a media report said on Thursday.
The 55-year-old Jobs in January announced that at his request, the board of directors granted him a medical leave of absence so that he could focus on his health.
Since then, employees have said Jobs can still be seen at the company's headquarters in California and is also calling all the strategic shots from his home.
Now, new pictures have been published in the tabloid National Enquirer, which suggest things may be worse for the man behind the iPod, iPhone and iPad.
The report said Jobs is stricken with pancreatic cancer and may have just six weeks to live.
The new photos show him looking painfully frail and weak, with his jeans and dark top hanging loosely on his six-feet-two-inches, frail body, the Daily Mail reported..
The pictures were not yet available online, but Jobs's weight is said to have dropped from a pre-cancer 175 pounds to 130 pounds now, according to the National Enquirer.
His thinning hair was a sign of the effects of chemotherapy used to treat the disease.
The photos, which were taken Feb 8, showed Jobs going for breakfast with his wife Laurene Powell before heading to the Stanford Cancer Centre in California.
Jerome Spunberg, a doctor, said: 'Mr. Jobs is most likely getting outpatient chemotherapy at Stanford because the cancer has recurred.'
Gabe Mirkin, a physician with 40 years' experience, said: 'He is terminal. What you are seeing is extreme muscle wasting from calorie deprivation, most likely caused by cancer. He has no muscle left in his buttocks, which is the last place to go.'
'He definitely appears to be in the terminal stages of his life from these photos. I would be surprised if he weighed more than 130 pounds.'
Critical care physician Samuel Jacobson also said: 'Judging from the photos, he is close to terminal. I would say he has six weeks.'
A source, who recently saw Jobs, added: 'He is very frail, moving like a weak, feeble old man. He weaves back and forth when he walks, as if he is having trouble keeping his balance, and the pain of every step is evident on his face.'
From India
CHENNAI: Is Steve Jobs terminally ill? The National Enquirer, an American tabloid, reported on Thursday that Apple CEO Steve Jobs is seriously ill and quoted a doctor saying that Jobs might live for only six more weeks. The doctor came to the conclusion by "analyzing recent photographs of Jobs". The tabloid claimed to have taken the photographs while following Jobs to the Stanford Cancer Center at Palo Alto in California. Apple did not react to the report till late on Thursday night.
While some may rubbish it as speculation, not everyone is optimistic because Jobs had taken his second medical leave in January, leading to renewed talks about his health. Besides, the medical history of Jobs is not too encouraging either: In 2004, he had undergone surgery for pancreatic cancer and in 2009, he underwent a liver transplant.
The reaction over the report across India ranged from incredulity to worries over Jobs' health. "The six-week figure was arrived by someone looking at just the photo published by National Enquirer. That obviously can't be taken as credible information," said Amit Agarwal, renowned tech blogger who writes at Digital Inspiration. "Right now, Apple is very secretive and assertive with everything. Whether it's the procedure for allowing apps in app store or not allowing Adobe Flash on the iPad. A big part of this decision-making process is Jobs. If he leaves, maybe we can expect Apple to be a little less restrictive," he added.
The Apple CEO, who is worth $6 billion, is currently on his third medical leave, and has battled a rare form of pancreatic cancer for seven years and had a liver transplant in 2009.
An Apple spokesman did not comment on the new photos.
