The disclosure, in an on Wednesday, comes a little over a week after Jobs revealed that his weight loss over the past year has been caused by a hormone imbalance.

"Unfortunately, the curiosity over my personal health continues to be a distraction not only for me and my family, but everyone else at Apple as well. In addition, during the past week I have learned that my health-related issues are more complex than I originally thought," Jobs wrote.

"In order to take myself out of the limelight and focus on my health ... I have decided to take a medical leave of absence until the end of June," he wrote.

Tim Cook, Apple's chief operating officer, will take over Apple's day-to-day operations during Jobs' absence. As COO he is responsible for Apple's worldwide sales and operations, and also heads the company's Macintosh division.

Jobs will remain CEO during his absence and be involved in major strategic decisions, said Apple spokeswoman Katie Cotton.