애플이 쓰라리다.   

일주일 사이에 주가가 10퍼센트 이상 빠진 것도 모자라, 시가총액1위 자리도 액슨모바일에게 내주었다. 

어려움에 빠진 애플을 놓고 업계는 입방아를 찧기 바쁘다. 특히, 활황세인 미국 주식 시장에 대비해 유독 상황이 안 좋은 애플은 모습에 충격을 감추지 못하고 있다. 

<관련 영문 기사>

Apple relinquishes its crown

By Kim Ji-hyun

For any reigning monarch, stumbling off the throne is painful. It’s expected to be the same for Apple Inc., the king of electronics and smartphones, which recently forfeited the crown as the world’s most valuable company.

ExxonMobil has now taken over that spot as Apple has lost some $247 billion in shareholder wealth compared to its high, which pundits note exceeds the value of IBM, worth $232 billion.

Last week, following its earnings announcement--which despite being quite decent, disappointed investors--Apple’s stocks suffered more than 10 percent. From its peak, the loss deepens to around 40 percent.

A lack of meaningful new devices to add to its lineup combined with strong new rivals, namely Samsung, seem to have taken a toll on the Cupertino-based company, not to mention the long-ignored bubble concealed behind Apple’s fantastic rise to the top, just waiting to burst.   

Investors are all the more upset because the rest of the U.S. stock market is actually doing quite well.

Apple’s losses are also affecting the Korean markets.

There had been a number of suppliers including LG Display that made a tidy pile of money off of Apple. They claimed it’s not about the money, but the association with the legendary company that they were after.

As Apple sheds its value, so are its suppliers losing their brand power, not to mention that low popularity translates into less demand, which goes for all the parties involved, including the suppliers.

Those close to LG Display argue that this is hardly the end, and that its business does not depend as blindly on Apple as believed, but LG’s tumbling stock prices — despite, notably, posting a record-high quarterly profit — prove the contrary is true.

In the end, Apple must be revived -- not just for LG Display, but for the local and global electronics industry, because Apple’s dominance over the past few years has proven how unsound it is for a single company to steal the show.

Samsung Electronics is in the limelight for now, but as Michael Moritz, chairman of Sequoia Capital, put it in a recent column: “Everyone knows the business will face stronger competition in the future.”

Given this fate, many would agree that it’s time to put aside the jabbing fingers and Apple envy to start looking for a way to create a healthier industry for all. (jemmie@heraldcorp.com)