Does Apple Spend Enough on R&D?

Matt Kramer published an article in USA Today this week titled, "7 Companies Outspend Apple on Innovation."  Kramer noted that Apple ranked behind seven other prominent technology companies in terms of R&D spending.  Moreover, Apple ranked 95th  among the S&P 500 in terms of R&D as a percentage of sales.  He found that quite surprising.  Kramer ends the article by saying, "But with the iPad getting stale, and competition in the smartphone arena kicking up, investors might wonder if Apple might need to pick up its R&D game."  The article caught my eye because a great deal of academic research shows that R&D spending is not strongly correlated with successful new product development.  It's not just how much you spend; it's how you spend it!   Kramer's article is thought-provoking, but it would have made for a much stronger piece if he included the research findings about the connection between R&D spending and firm performance.