Associated Press
Steve Jobs, right, delivers the keynote address at
Macworld Expo San Francisco last January with
former CEO Gil Amelio. Jobs is reportedly mulling
a Hawaii vacation to help him decide his future
with Apple Computer.

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Steve Jobs
keeps them guessing

Apple disputes reports he's
coming to Hawaii to think about
taking the CEO post for good

From staff and wire reports

Is Apple Computer Inc.'s interim chief executive Steve Jobs coming to Hawaii to do some serious thinking about whether to drop the "interim" and take the job permanently?

West Coast media have been quoting remarks Jobs made yesterday at the Macromedia software developers conference in San Francisco.

"I'm trying to get away to Hawaii for a week, to walk on the beach and chill out and think about things," Jobs said, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

But Apple's lead corporate spokeswoman, Katie Cotton, said today Jobs has planned no trip.

The comments, she said, were much less specific than reports from the meeting indicate.

Cotton said there has been no change in Jobs' status as interim CEO.

After his speech he asked for questions and someone at the back of the room shouted: "Who's running the company?"

Jobs responded, "Well, I'm trying to." A second voice shouted, "When are you going to drop the interim title?" Jobs answered with the Hawaii comment.

Meanwhile, Joe Costello, one of the candidates on Apple's rumored short list of CEO prospects, said the computer maker "has not seriously interviewed anyone" for the job.

Jobs founded Apple with Steve Wozniak in 1976 but left nine years later. He returned as an adviser late last year when Apple acquired his Next Software Inc. He became Apple's de facto leader after the company ousted CEO Gil Amelio in July.