No Steve Jobs at MacWorld

Tuesday's MacWorld convention in San Francisco promises to be exciting. It's the annual conference where all kinds of new Mac computers and peripherals are introduced. Apple, maker of the popular Mac line of computers, is pulling out of MacWorld after this year and Apple CEO Steve Jobs will not appear, after many years of delivering keynote addresses and introducing new products.

Internet speculation has been that Jobs is too ill to attend. Monday morning, Apple released a statement from Jobs saying he had a "hormone imbalance" that was causing him to lose weight. Jobs said in the statement he's begun treatment, expects to recover, and will not attend MacWorld.

The hot rumors for the show consist of a new iMac being released and a new Mac mini computer. There's also speculation about a 17-inch Macbook Pro laptop that has a battery that lasts longer than previous models but cannot be removed; a smaller version of the iPhone that will be cheaper than the current model, which retails for $199 for an 8-gigabyte version or $299 for a 16-GB version; and of Apple introducing its new operating system, Snow Leopard.

Here's a portion of Jobs' note.

"As many of you know, " Jobs wrote, "I have been losing weight throughout 2008. The reason has been a mystery to me and my doctors. A few weeks ago, I decided that getting to the root cause of this and reversing it needed to become my #1 priority.

"Fortunately, after further testing, my doctors think they have found the cause -- a hormone imbalance that has been 'robbing' me of the proteins my body needs to be healthy. Sophisticated blood tests have confirmed this diagnosis.

"The remedy for this nutritional problem is relatively simple and straightforward, and I've already begun treatment. But, just like I didn’t lose this much weight and body mass in a week or a month, my doctors expect it will take me until late this spring to regain it. I will continue as Apple's CEO during my recovery.

"I have given more than my all to Apple for the past 11 years now. 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. I hope the Apple community will support me in my recovery and know that I will always put what is best for Apple first."