The technology company Apple – once the darling of investors – has seen its share price crash by almost 25%. What happened? Salon outlined a few theories:

• Apple is losing its edge in smartphones. The Nokia Lumia 920 as well as RIM’s upcoming Blackberry re-launch are both threats that have the potential to steal the company’s thunder.
• In the tablet space, Microsoft has launched its initial salvo in the form of Windows 8, and this, along with the successful efforts of Amazon and Google, could herald the end of the iPad era.
• Apple has also had trouble innovating in recent times. The company has gone from underdog to market leader and it’s hard for a company on top to continue to innovate in the way that Apple did when it first created the iPhone.
• It might, however, have nothing to do with Apple. The looming fiscal cliff will raise taxes on stocks and shareholders could merely be locking in their gains in case the United States does decide to drive off into the chasm below.

Read more about the theories, and the direction that Apple might take under Tim Cook over here.

Source: Salon