, widely considered the world's most successful modern.

             company, has watched its share price plummet since mid-September. Days.

             before the iPhone 5 was released, Apple was worth over $658 billion, more.

             than all the companies in Portugal, Ireland, Greece and Spain, combined.[1].

             With roughly 63,300 employees, each person working for the company added.

             $10 million in value. Not only was Apple the world's most valuable company,.

             it was worth nearly twice that of the next most valuable, Exxon Mobil.

             Today, Apple shares have tumbled 43% in only seven months and continue to.

             fall, while shareholders have seen $283 billion in wealth evaporate into.

             thin air. The all-important question is what has changed and how can Apple.

             reinstate investor confidence. To begin, many believe Apple's innovation.

             died with its co-founder, Steve Jobs. The release of Job's final project,.

             the iPhone 5, marked the beginning of Apple's decline. Jobs was at the.

             forefront of pioneering new technological segments and selling these.

             products to the masses. Without the introduction of an entirely new product.

             since the iPad in April 2010, competitors have aggressively moved into.

             Apple's territory. The most important and recently successful competitor.

             has been Samsung Electronics.

             .

             Samsung, a South Korean-based company, is recognized world-wide for.

             their vast array of products, from washing machines to televisions to.

             computers. Since 2009, Samsung has invested tens of billions of dollars.

             into their mobile communications division, where they produce a number of.

             smartphones and tablets under the "Galaxy" name. In 2010, they launched.

             their first iPhone competitor, the Galaxy S, which sold relatively well.

             with 10 million units shipped in the first six months.[2] In comparison,.

             these numbers paled next to Apple's iPhone 4s, which sold nearly 30 million.