For a brief time early this year, Google parent Alphabet overtook Apple as the world’s largest company by market value. Apple then regained, lost, and recovered the leader position in May in a battle that appears set to continue for some time. At the close Friday, Apple was worth some $522 billion, to $496 billion for Alphabet. Apple has delivered a line of must-have iPhones and other gadgets that have set trends around the world but now “appears to be a little bit immobile,” says Roger Kay, analyst at Endpoint Technologies Associates. Apple shares have slumped some 30% over the past 12 months over concerns that its stunning growth pace is slowing and that the iPhone won’t be able to rake in profits as it has up to now. Analysts say Apple must find ways to keep its position as innovation leader. On the other hand, Google has been evolving from a pure search engine to a leader in mobile. Kay said the Android system, which powers some 80% of mobile handsets, is a valuable franchise that helps Google’s mobile advertising efforts.
Read: Apple, Google locked in battle for supremacy
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