Apple Stock Price: How Bad Are The Numbers In This Study?

Published on April 26, 2013 at 11:14 am by Chris Bibey in News

Apple Stock Price: At this point in time, it is safe to say that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) doesn’t need any more bad news. The company has seen its stock price take a nosedive over the past few weeks, while also dealing with plenty of bad press.

While Apple continues to drag its heels on releasing an updated iPhone, it appears that competitors are moving to the forefront and making a strong push to capture even more market share.

Apple Inc (AAPL) Is this something Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is concerned with? On one side, the answer is probably yes. On the other side, it is safe to assume that Cupertino is not going to release a new device just to do so.

A recent study by IDC shows that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is losing market share to some of its biggest competitors. This is bad news for the company as it attempts to regain its footing and solidify its iPhone as top dog in the industry once again.

Despite a slow first quarter of 2013, the worldwide mobile phone market once again grew year over year. With an increase of four percent, companies in this space, including Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), continue to jockey for position.

A big milestone was hit this quarter, with smartphones out-shipping feature phones for the first time. This goes a long way in showing the direction in which the industry is headed.

With all this out of the way, let’s take a closer look at where Apple stands alongside the competition.

First up is Samsung. According to the study, the company has maintained its number one spot in the smartphone market. In fact, by the end of the last quarter, Samsung “shipped more units than the next four vendors combined.”

Where does this leave Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)? Here is what the study had to say:

“Apple’s smartphone shipment volume hit a new first-quarter high thanks in part to the iPhone 5, with volume growing 6.6% year over year. However, the last time the iPhone maker posted a single-digit year-over-year growth rate was 3Q09. The iPhone maker has held the second spot in the smartphone rankings for the past five quarters. Apple’s mix of models shipped to market is increasingly diversified as it tries to reach new buyers.”

As you can see, things aren’t horrible for Apple. The company is continuing to find itself near the top of the charts, despite the fact that Samsung appears to be doing everything right.

The graph on the following page, courtesy of IDC, will be a real eye opener: