Oonagh ReidyAs all eyes are on the new Samsung Galaxy tab, it seems Steve Jobs is still hammering away in the Apple development labs on the impending iPad2, iPhone 5 and the mini iPhone – all tipped for release this year.
The larger than life CEO, who took a leave of absence last month citing health reasons, is still holding tight reins at his company despite his health issues, say Apple insiders.
Operations at the tech giant are said to be unchanged according to insiders, with business as usual the name of the game under Jobs’ stand in guy, chief operating officer Tim Cook.
Jobs told his employees that he will continue as CEO of Apple and “be involved in major strategic decisions for the company” although he failed to specify the nature of his illness at the time.
Samsung, who are today to reveal their new 10 inch Galaxy Tab that will go head to head with the iPad and could also possibly steal some of the thunder from the iPad2, are also to reveal their Android Smartphones to replace the much loved Galaxy S.
The device is powered by TouchWIZ 4 atop Android 2.3. Apart from TouchWIZ 4 atop Android 2.3, the Samsung Galaxy S2 will also boast a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus display and a 1GHz dual-core processor, which is said to be lacking on the forthcoming iPad2.
‘If Apple can’t make it financially feasible to put a Retina Display in the iPad 2, it’s very unlikely that Samsung can,” said Geek.com earlier this month.
As Google’s Android OS continues to gain market momentum it was revealed by IDC last week to be the most shipped system in the last quarter of 2010 – beating arch rivals Apple – meaning that Steve Jobs’ brainchild will be run off their feet as they struggle to keep in the game.
The iPad2 due out in the coming weeks is said to offer more power with a dual core ARM processor, and features including SD card slot, a larger screen and a front and rear camera.
The iPhone Mini, is also another hot Apple product to land on shelves this year is said to be a cheaper, smaller version of the current iPhone – and appears to be the tech giant’s answer to the slew of Androids currently on the market.
“Steve is the CEO of Apple and during his medical leave he’ll continue to be involved in major strategic decisions,” said an Apple spokeswoman.
“I love Apple so much and hope to be back as soon as I can” and said he and his family would “deeply appreciate respect for our privacy,” Jobs told employees in January.
He took medical leave in 2004 and then again in the first half of 2009. Last year he announced that he had pancreatic cancer and had received a liver transplant while on leave in 2009.
Apple is currently valued at US$300 billion.