Oppenheimer Analyst Says Apple is in For a ‘Decade-Long Malaise’

Financial analysts continue to bully Apple, as now a second firm has questioned “strategic issues” within the company.

Just a few short days after UBS questioned Apple’s strategic approach and whether it is still the same as it was under Steve Jobs, Oppenheimer analyst Andrew Uerkwitz has predicted that the company is in for a “decade-long malaise.”

While the analyst admitted that the past ten years has been a decade of growth and returns for the company, the next ten might not be as fruitful and profitable.

“We believe Apple lacks the courage to lead the next generation of innovation (AI, cloud-based services, messaging); instead it will become more reliant than ever on the iPhone” wrote Uerkwitz. “We believe Apple is about to embark on a decade-long malaise. The risks to the company have never been greater.”

Business Insider, who first reported the story, notes that Oppenheimer has pointed out a lot of issues that other analysts have before:

“[Oppenheimer] thinks iPhone sales will peak in 2018; the company lacks the ability to raise prices across its iPhones, iPads, and Mac products; and a clash is developing between ‘Apple’s primary role as the hardware platform…with its secondary role as the software and service provider.'”

Oppenheimer wasn’t all frowns, however, saying that they “believe [Apple’s] strong profitability, a cash hoard for protection, and one last ‘growth’ hurrah from the tenth-anniversary phone will keep investors interested in the company.”