It’s Not Just You, Apple Inc. (AAPL)

It’s easy to kick Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) when it’s down, but everybody else may be suffering a similar fate.

There’s no denying that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has lost a few steps. Sales are slowing, and when the consumer tech giant reports quarterly results later this month, it may be the bellwether’s first year-over-year decline in ages. The walk down to the bottom line is even more cruel. Margins have been contracting as customers flock to cheaper iPad Mini, iPhone 4, and iPhone 4S devices that don’t carry the same kind of markups that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) packs for its newer gadgetry.

However, it seems as if fears that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s iPhone is falling out of favor to rival platforms may be premature. They’re all smarting these days. Let’s go over some of the grim reports that have come out in recent days from the leading handset makers.

Q2 revenue and profit that missed analysts’ expectations, following weeks of speculation of slower-than-expected sales of the company’s flagship Galaxy S4 smartphone.

• Shares of Android leader Samsung slipped in South Korea on Friday after preliminary quarterly results fell short of expectations. Samsung’s new estimates are 3% below analyst estimates for revenue and 5% below the market’s profit target.
• HTC doesn’t get a lot of attention, but it, too, is coming up short. The Taiwanese smartphone maker posted quarterly revenue on Friday that fell 1% shy of analyst forecasts.
• A week earlier, Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) shares were crushed after posting a surprising loss. The real stinker in the report was that Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) cleared just 2.7 million Z10 and Q10 smartphones. These were supposed to be the handsets running Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY)’s updated mobile operating system that was supposed to herald the pioneer’s return to relevance. It didn’t.
• Nokia Corporation (ADR) (NYSE:NOK) has moved higher on buyout speculation and a shrewd acquisition, but its smartphone business remains a hot mess. Analysts see Nokia Corporation (ADR) (NYSE:NOK) posting another deficit for the quarter that ended last week on a double-digit percentage dip in revenue.

Suddenly Apple doesn’t look so ugly.