NY -- Standard&Poor's CreditWire 12/18/95 -- Standard&Poor's places its triple-`B' senior debt and `A-2' commercial paper ratings of Apple Computer Inc. on CreditWatch with negative implications, following the company's recent announcement that it may report a loss for the quarter ended Dec. 31, 1995. About $760 million of total debt is affected. Although Apple has successfully managed its product line transition to the PowerPC microprocessor, significant challenges remain. Apple's recent announcement comes during what has historically been the company's strongest quarter, led by Apple's strength in the consumer market. Highly competitive personal computer (PC) industry conditions, compounded by Apple's own actions to boost market share through reduced prices, led to a sharp drop in profitability in
