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Is Apple losing its creative shine?
Despite booming sales of popular products like the iPhone 5, Apple stock is falling. And some question the company's future as an innovator.
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Despite brisk sales of iPhone 5 and the hoopla around the iPad mini, Apple’s stock has been on a downward slide. It’s lost about 20 percent of it’s value since its peak in September.
It’s not that investors are worried about sales, per se, their concern is more metaphysical? Trip Chowdry, an analyst at Global Equities Research, says the big question is: Has Apple lost its soul?
"One year after Steve Jobs' passing, what has Apple accomplished? Nothing? What ground breaking product have they brought to the market? Nothing," Chowdry says. Chowdry voices a belief that’s common among investors: The day Apple stops introducing “gee-whiz” products, it’s dead.
Viewed through that lens, the iPhone 5 and iPad mini were disappointments. There was also the failure of Apple Maps. And last month, software engineer Scott Forstall -- one of Apple’s most prolific inventors -- left the company.
"I think it’s too early to say Apple’s days are over," says Anil Doradla, an analyst at William Blair. He says Apple still dominates the tablet market and consumers are still hot for iPhones. "All right, we go away from Apple to what?" Doradla asks.
His point is that until another company starts producing “ground breaking” products, he’s giving Apple more time to get back in the groove.
No groundbreaking products? I guess you think the iPhone and iPad are just an iPod in a different shape to you. I don't know what road you think Apple is on but have you been to an Apple store lately? You might stop at a Microsoft or another competitor's store if you can find one. See if you see any differences. You might want Apple to fail but you can't deny their runaway success at the moment, even if their stock falls 20%. BTW the iPhone 'changed the game' much more than the iPod ever did.
Apple hasn't had a groundbreaking product in 10 years! The iPod changed the game but everything after that has been variations on a theme. "Let's add a bigger screen!" "Let's add a phone!"
They're traveling down the same road they did in the 80's when the PC beat the pants off of them, except this time they're betting legal patent challenges will stem the flow of other companies beating them at their own game.
