Photo courtesy of Sean Gallup/Getty Images

You probably know that Steve Jobs  is taking time off from being the guiding hand of all things Apple (seriously, Jobs’ name appears on dozens of patents held by the Apple company) to rest and recover from health issues. I’m sure Apple shareholders are eager to see Jobs return to the helm. He may have a reputation for being a bit of a tyrant, but it’s obvious that his methods get results; few could argue with the immense success of the iPod and iPhone products. And as many like to point out, Jobs pulled Apple from the brink of bankruptcy and thrust it back into the spotlight over the last decade.

Jobs’ temporary departure has caused a bit of a ruckus. Some shareholders worry that Apple won’t be able to maintain its course without Jobs guiding the company. Very few organizations are so intimately linked with their leaders as Apple. Do shareholders have a right to know about Jobs’ personal health? Will Jobs really return to work in June?

Journalist David Zeiler of The Baltimore Sun did some digging and found that the Moscone Center in San Francisco has a mysterious week-long booking in early June under the name “Corporate meeting.” Back in 2008, Apple used the Moscone Center for its World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) during that same week. Forbes journalist Philip Elmer-DeWitt further suggests that Jobs will return early and be a part of the event. Jobs had previously announced that he would return to Apple by the end of June — the Moscone event would require that he’d come back a little early.

Of course, even if Jobs returns the questions about his health aren’t just going to go away. Jobs needs to present a transition plan to shareholders to explain what will happen once he leaves the company. Otherwise, shareholder confidence may continue to wane.

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