by , 7:45 AM EDT, October 5th, 2004

Apple Computer Chief Executive Steve Jobs returned to full time work after taking a leave of absence to recover from cancer surgery in late July, the San Jose Mercury News reported Tuesday (free membership required to view story).

The Mercury News reported fellow employees describing Mr. Jobs as in excellent spirits, never acknowledging or discussing his bout with cancer. Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak told the newspaper via e-mail, "All I can say is that he was in excellent spirits."

Timothy Cook, the company's 43-year-old executive vice president of worldwide sales and operations, assumed day-to-day oversight of the company during Jobs' recovery. During his absence, Apple released the iMac G5 at Apple Expo in Paris on August 31st.