Steve Jobs back at Apple

After undergoing surgery in late July for a rare form of pancreatic cancer, Apple Computer Chief Executive Steve Jobs is on the road to recovery and plans to return to full-time work later this month.

Jobs, who underwent successful surgery to remove cancer from his pancreas, is attending some company meetings and plans to return to full-time work later this month, Apple spokeswoman Katie Cotton said.

The rare cancer was a far more curable form than typical pancreatic cancer, Jobs wrote in an e-mail to employees after his surgery.

At the time of his surgery, Jobs, 49, had estimated he would return to work in September. That apparently is on track.

Tim Cook, an executive vice president who oversees Apple's sales, operations and Macintosh unit, has been running the company's daily operations during Jobs' absence.

In the past month, the company has had its ups and downs. Last month, it unveiled its new iMac G5 desktop, but also issued a recall for 28,000 batteries that shipped with its PowerBook G4 portable computer this year.

[Jon N.]

Dear Mr. Jobs...

Dear Mr. Jobs:

I hope that everything is going better for you, now you're out of the hospital & on the fast track to recovery! Everyone who uses a computer should know the immense contribution you have made to the personal computing industry. After all, you were instrumental in the founding of Apple, Inc. I'm a windows user myself, but I remember the summer of '77, when the Apple ][ was all the rage. I hope to see you back on the road & on CNET real soon.

God Bless You & get well soon !!!

Jon Niccolls

I am a two-year "survivor"

Mr. Jobs,

I also had a neuroendocrine pancreatic cancer tumor removed from my pancreas (and half my pancreas plus my spleen with it) two years ago. I had no idea I had any disease of the pancreas until I complained of some minor symptoms that led my doctor to order an ultra-sound of my gall bladder which then led to the discovery of the tumor.

I did not undergo any follow-up chemo or radiation treatments and after I recovered from the surgery itself, I have been fine. I just received the results of my most recent CT scan and everything is still "normal". I have had no adverse affects from having only 50% of my pancreas.

My particular type of tumor was a "VIP", or Vaso-active Intestinal Peptide tumor (I think I have that right).

I hope your recovery goes as well as mine.

Robin Smith