Does Steve Jobs Return Mean He's Back For Good?

Perhaps the biggest news of the day is that at next week's developer conference Apple Inc. AAPL CEO Steve Jobs will be appearing. The press release makes sure to mention in the first line that Jobs and a team of executives are going to discuss some new products, including the iCloud, and the newest version of the Mac operating system, aptly named Lion. As such, Apple share are higher today, gaining some 1.7% as of the time of this writing. While the press release does not make any mention of Jobs coming back full time, it does make sure to mention that Jobs is still CEO, which is a good sign going forward. Tim Cook has done an admirable job since taking over for Jobs, when he announced he was leaving for another medical leave earlier in the year. Jobs only came back once this year, to talk about the iPad 2 at a conference in March, which was a huge surprise to the markets, and reassured that he was still active in decisions at the company. By releasing the press release with Jobs name in it, Apple could be saying that Jobs is doing better than expected with his treatment, and may potentially be on the way back for good. This would certainly give Apple shares a little bit of a boost, and would be good for all, as we all wish Jobs a speedy recovery. Today's statement did not make mention of a new iPhone, which is usually when the Cupertino-based company announces a new version of its iconic phone. It would be much welcomed news if Jobs were returning full time to the company he helped created and build into the powerhouse we know it as today. I find it more than interesting that Apple made a point to mention his name in the press release to discuss products that could have been taken care of by other execs, namely Cook. We can only wait and hope, but I'm sure this would be unexpected news that Wall Street would definitely cheer.