Jobs sounds 'healthy, energetic': Apple co-founder

Apple chief executive Steve Jobs sounds healthy, a month before his scheduled return from a medical leave of absence, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak was quoted as saying on Wednesday.

Wozniak told The Wall Street Journal on the sidelines of a technology conference sponsored by the newspaper in southern California that Jobs sounds "healthy, energetic" and "doesn?t sound like he?s sick."

The Journal said Wozniak acknowledged, however, that he has never directly asked the 54-year-old Jobs how he is.

Jobs went on a leave of absence in January for health reasons and Apple has said repeatedly that the visionary behind the Macintosh computer, iPod and iPhone is expected to return as scheduled at the end of June.

Apple has been notoriously secretive about Jobs's health since he underwent an operation in 2004 for pancreatic cancer.

(c) 2009 AFP