Jobs Set to Return to Apple

Steve Jobs will likely return to Apple this month as planned, insiders tell the Wall Street Journal, leading some to wonder whether he’ll make a surprise appearance at Apple’s yearly software developers’ conference next week, where a new iPhone is expected to be debuted. Either way, Jobs’ time away has shown that the company can function well without him: Shares have risen 68% since his departure.

“We look forward to Steve returning to Apple at the end of June,” said an Apple spokesman yesterday, in line with what the firm has previously said. “He was one real sick guy,” noted a person who recently saw Jobs, who went on sick leave in January, but he’s “coming along.” (More Apple stories.)