Report: Steve Jobs had liver transplant

NEW YORK, June 20 (UPI) -- Apple Inc. chief executive Steve Jobs has undergone a successful liver transplant operation, The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday.

Without naming its sources, the Journal said Jobs underwent the transplant in Tennessee about two months ago and is on the road to recovery, expected to return to work on this month after being on leave since January.

The newspaper said Jobs did not respond to an e-mail for comment. Apple spokeswoman Katie Cotton said, "Steve continues to look forward to returning at the end of June, and there's nothing further to say."

Quoting "a person familiar with the thinking at Apple," the Journal said Apple chief operating officer Tom Cook may take "a more encompassing role" upon Jobs' return and may be appointed to Apple's board in the near future.

The newspaper said at least some Apple directors were aware of Jobs' surgery because of an agreement made with him and have been briefed weekly on the CEO's condition by his physician.

Jobs, 54, disclosed in 2004 that he had been treated for a rare form of pancreatic cancer in which the tumor was diagnosed in time and had been removed, the Journal said.