Apple Jitters Mount on Concerns of Waning Smartphone Demand

Apple Inc. and a slew of chipmakers fell Thursday after Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., the leading chip manufacturer for the smartphone industry, issued a growth forecast that rekindled concerns that the handset boom is waning. Taiwan Semiconductor on Thursday predicted that sales for the current quarter will be a billion dollars less than analysts had projected. Apple shares slipped 2.7 percent as of 2:55 p.m. in New York., while U.S.-traded shares of Hsinchu, Taiwan-based TSMC fell 6.4 percent.