Apple could be defined as the perfect success story. Take a bunch of smart guys, an entrepreneurial mind, some vision, put them together, and there you go with innovation. Add a pinch of simplicity over complex concepts, name them Apple and sell them to people all over the world. Since it has first seen the light of day, the “tech” apple has been bitten by giant amount of profits. But no miracle last forever and the inventor of Apple, the beloved Steve Jobs eats from the tree of Knowledge that’s somewhere high above us. Since the mastermind behind the greatest technological breakthrough has left the territories of physical world, things haven’t been going so smooth for Apple.
If we take our time to analyze the stock markets today, we might get the impression that Apple wasn’t exactly one of the most profitable companies at all time. According to the new statistics, the company’s stock price fell by 4% today, to about $114 its lowest close in more than 6 months.
This is what happens when you want the greatest piece of the revenue pie. They have launched many products which are not exactly representative for the quality stamp Apple has accustomed its fanbase with. The Apple Watch is somewhat a disaster, the Apple Homekit has drowned in anonymity and the revived iPod isn’t exactly the most entertaining piece of innovation, so the sales are not fantastic.
Apple shares are down more than 14% since right before reporting its earnings late last month. The most acclaimed, popular, innovative company is facing a decline right now and it has a lesson to learn. Apple must learn how to fail better, buckle up and start all over again, with fresh forces. However, Apple seems to occupy its own world, where everything is cool and steady and where the normal rules of stock market physics don’t apply. They have been rebels since the beginning of their journey towards success. And success, as it turns out, is pretty much relative.
A first sign of dramatic drop has started after the company slightly missed analyst predictions for iPhone sales, last quarter. Only 47.5 million units were sold, versus 50 million expected. Then the Apple Watch came to the scene and the sales went so bad that Apple even refused to reveal exactly how many of the new watches were sold. It seems that Apple failed to reach its “break-even volume” of two million watches per month during the second quarter of the year and didn’t expect to hit that mark during the third quarter, either.
Apple keeps a reserved tone of voice and a defensive attitude, by commenting that “no vendor has a complete picture of its multi-phase supply chain”. However, as previously stated, Apple must learn to fail better. That means more transparency and more vertical attitude.
Image Source: support.apple.com
