It's hard to tell, but I think Apple is in decline. There are things I've noticed that are minor or unimportant, but which are indicators.
I was in the Apple Store today at Tysons Corner in McLean, Virginia, outside DC. I needed to buy a Ethernet to USB cable for a MacBook Air and a couple other items. I also had a fake Apple charger that I bought on Amazon (but not actually sold by Amazon). It said "Designed by Apple..., " but it was an obvious counterfeit, and so I never used it.
I was greeted at the door by a guy with a headset. I told him I needed to buy a few things, and I wanted to exchange the counterfeit adapter under Apple's recently announced program. He directed me to the Genius Bar.
There was no one at the Genius Bar, except a woman who was waiting. I waited. She left, after 5 minutes. Another customer came up. He waited, then left after about 5 minutes. Finally, I left.
There were a lot of Apple sales people on the floor, who were not busy. And some of them were going in and out of the back room, passing by the unstaffed Genius Bar.
I left the store, but mentioned to the greeter on the way out that no one was at the Genius Bar. He was indifferent.
Not a big deal. And I really don't care about exchanging the adapter. But I do care about my Apple stock.
I usually buy from the Apple Store online, and rarely go into the Apple Store. But, the few times I did, in years past, people seemed more attentive. And the Genius Bar had people helping people.
There are other things that make me worry. For example, the recent advertising campaigns not only lacked cleverness, they were embarrassing.
My family and I use iPhones, iPads, and Macs. On the other hand, I have a Samsung Galaxy III issued to me by my employer. I don't like the Samsung. But, I think that Android will continue to overtake iOS, at an increasing rate. And I think the Apple leadership, unlike Apple's founder, will be more focussed on when to cash in their current shares, and less interested in the future of the company.
