Apple’s Innovation Machine Under Serious Scrutiny

Recently Apple’s innovation machine has come under serious scrutiny by some investors and customers. Although most are pretty happy with Apple’s new products, but some critics are expressing displeasure over the lack of new ground breaking products by the company. The iPad mini is doing very well, but overall Apple’s stock prices have been volatile, and there have been missed earnings for several quarters.

Most of the critics have aimed their cannons at Tim Cook, the person who took on the task of filling Steve Jobs’ shoes. At the time of the release of iPhone 5, the stock prices rose to an all time high of $702; today the prices are $500 and have even dipped to $485 during the past couple of weeks. With Sharp minimizing production of the 9.7 inch iPad 4 screens, it seems that Apple might be in a bit of a bother.

The advocates of the company’s products have gone as far as to say that the critics will never be happy, unless Apple invents a happiness machine. Apple has not introduced an innovative product in a long time, apart from a slightly smaller Tablet, and some of the higher level employees are leaving the company. Combine that with a volatile stock price, and it seems as if trouble is on the horizon for the multibillion dollar juggernaut.

However, groundbreaking products are not that easy to produce. It takes years of research and development to create an innovative product. Apple has about 6,805 patents and about 4,051 applications for new products, so Apple fanatics can rest easy that the company will surely introduce something awesome this year.

With the likes of Google and Samsung competing with Apple on several fronts, it would require extensive marketing and amazing products for Apple to stabilize its stock price and to make sure the price rises again. Another point of concern for Apple, called by some as the most innovative company in the world, is that 21 companies have more patents than Apple. These companies include IBM, Google, Microsoft, and GM.

It is not that whoever files the most patents is most innovative, but the number of patents indicates the amount of new projects in the pipeline. It is quite possible that Apple will again win the war of innovation, but its market share may very well be threatened if it does not introduce something amazing in the near future.

[Image via 9to5mac]