Jan. 5 (Bloomberg) -- Apple Inc. said there is a succession plan in place if Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs can no longer run the company.

“There is a succession plan in place, but it is confidential for obvious reasons,” said Steve Dowling, an Apple spokesman. He said the plan has existed for several years, declining to be specific.

To contact the reporter on this story: Connie Guglielmo in San Francisco at cguglielmo1@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: January 5, 2009 14:56 EST