Though technically he returned to work two months ago, it was as the host of Wednesday's Apple music event that Steve Jobs publicly retook the reins of the company he founded.
Jobs was the first person to emerge on stage at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco to open the now-annual September iPod introduction.
Appearing notably thin, he received a prolonged standing ovation from the audience, much of it composed of members of the media, but also a range of guests including app developers, entertainers, and music industry types.
Jobs quietly took in the applause and then began to speak fairly candidly about the well-known medical problems that kept him away from work for the first half of the year.
"I'm very happy to be here today with you all," he said. "As you may know, I had a liver transplant. So I have the liver of a mid-20s person who died in a car crash, and was generous enough to donate their organs. And I wouldn't be here without such generosity."
He used the moment to encourage more people to do the same, calling on everyone to be an organ donor. He also thanked everyone at Apple and the Apple community for the support he received while he was gone.
At that point, it was unclear whether this was a farewell or a welcome home event for Jobs, but it soon became apparent when he thanked the man who had taken over day-to-day duties running Apple between January and June, chief operating officer Tim Cook, and all the Apple executive team.
"They really ran the company very ably during that time," Jobs said. "So, I'm vertical, I'm back at Apple, and loving every day of it."
Jobs was the host of the entire 75-minute event, just as he always had been at similar events in years past. Though other executives joined him, including Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of marketing, and Jeff Robbin, lead iTunes software designer, it was clearly his show. He also revived two well-known trademarks of his public appearances: his outfit of black turtleneck, jeans, and white tennis shoes, and his 'one more thing' phrase.
He also hinted there would be more public appearances to come, signing off the event by thanking everyone for coming and promising: "See you all again soon."
