Succession Question Dogs Apple

His physical apppearance at recent events has raised concern about the health of Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs and prompted a new round of questions about a succession plan.

Industry and investor concerns about the health of the 53-year-old Jobs have not waned more than a month after he appeared dramatically thinner at an annual developers’ conference, The New York Post said on Monday.

In June, a story in Investors Business Daily raised similar questions and reported that Apple executives had told analysts that they intend to be much more forthcoming with them if Jobs' health were ever to take a turn for the worse. The company will disclose any material change in Jobs' health, IBD reported.

Apple says it has a succession plan for Jobs, according to IBD, but has opted not to make it public.

While blogs and industry watchers had wondered whether the 53-year-old Jobs was suffering complications from, or a reappearance of, the pancreatic cancer cured by surgery nearly four years ago, Apple "insiders"  told the newspaper that Jobs had been fighting a “common bug” and was taking antibiotics.

When asked about the condition of Jobs on a conference call after the Post story, Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer said, "He has no plan to leave Apple. Steve's health is a private matter."