Apple's run of poor luck continues with reports of lower than expected demand for the iPhone 5 and critics asking the obvious question. Is it no longer cool to carry an iPhone?
The share price dipped below $500 earlier today and seems to be trending towards the $270 predicted in early 2012 by Edward Zabitsky.
The share price woes come a few days after Apple was voted most innovative company in the world by the 1500 executives. That Boston Consulting Group study has had Apple at the top of the tree year after year since the mid-2000s. The list is compiled from the opinions of Apple's peers and should mean something - though this year it has Facebook at number 5, which dilutes its credibility.
Still, while its peers are full of admiration, Apple has turned from being a glamorous company to becoming an enigma. I published the chart below back in November. It shows sentiment towards Apple's future declining over the course of 2012. In 2011 I did a similar analysis with marketpysyhdata on Apple's innovation reputation vs that of Google and Amazon. That too showed Apple's reputation slipping.
Still, I can't help thinking that Apple's problems right now are reputation-driven rather than fundamental. But let's think about that another way.
Lately we've seen social reputation boost the RIM stock price, as well as give Nokia a lift. Perhaps the fundamentals now include good social reputation online? If so, Apple finally needs to rethink its leadership strategy. The reason is simple: observers like its peer group are doing more for its reputation than the company itself.
