Apple’s products are now an indispensable part of people’s lives. Despite other competitors have longer history and outstanding performance, such as General Electronic Corporation (GEC) and Sony Corporation, Apple’s constant innovation makes it become a pioneer in business market. From the case “Design Thinking and Innovation at Apple”, there are some significant factors which cause the Apple’s success in the past 40 years. One of the vital factors is the leader. Steven Jobs, known as his strict and “dictatorial” characteristics, created Apple and endowed it with his initial value—simplicity and expertise. And these are how Apple implement in the following years. “‘That simplicity is the ultimate sophistication’…the really great person will keep on going and find…the key, underlying principle of the problem (Thomke, S. & Feinberg B., 2012).” A great leader should have his or her clear norms and disciplines, Apple has utilized NeXT, its previous computer workstation in 1985 which targeted to the education market, “as the basis of its following OS X computer operating system and the machine ended up being the development platform Sir Timothy Berners-Lee used to create the client for the World Wide Web (Thomke, S. & Feinberg B., 2012)”. Furthermore, it allows Windows users to access Apple’s products, like Mac computer with both Mac operating system and Windows operating system, which attract more potential customers. Last but not least, Apple’s constant experimentations generate its perfect products and service. Apple decided to move into retail in 2001. There were just few applications on its website at the beginning. After it transmitting the traditional music industries to online retail store and starting Apple Store, Apple spent nearly 10 years to build up and improve its own online retail store. Now more than billions of people are enjoying its
Apple Computer Inc designs, manufactures, and markets personal computers and related personal computing and communication solutions. The return of Steve Jobs, the companies founder, as CEO has pulled the company’s stock price up 775-percent through his launch of innovative products such as the iMac computer line. On January 5, 2000, Jobs announced that he was dropping interim from his CEO title and taking the job full-time. With this news and Apple’s new products such as the iBook, a portable pc and Quick TV, an internet television access feature, Apple Computer is headed for success and is sure to increase their share in the computer market.
Within the last decade Apple has become one of the largest growing companies in the world and the largest valued company in the United States. According to a recent article in The Guardian, a global financial news website, “Apple set a record by becoming the first company to be valued at over $700bn (£446bn).” (Fletcher, N. 2014) This comes as no surprise to the average computer aficionado and shareholder as Apple has been making a name for itself since its inception. From its earliest Macintosh models to today’s iPhones, Apple has been a trailblazer for software, technology and revolutionizing the way we communicate on a Macro level. Their dedication to innovation, quality and service has made them
Apple Inc. uses the Apple brand to compete across several highly competitive markets, including the personal computer industry with its Macintosh line of computers and related software, the consumer electronics industry with products such as the iPod, digital music distribution through its iTunes Music Store, the smart phone market with the Apple iPhone, magazine, book, games and applications publishing via the AppsStore for iPhone and the iPad tablet computing device, and movie and TV content distribution with Apple TV. For marketers, the company is also establishing a very strong presence to rival Google in the advertising market, via its Apps business and iAd network
Steve Jobs is a world-renowned entrepreneur who revolutionized the technology industry. He is best known as Apple’s co-founder (“Obituary: Steve Jobs”, 2011). Jobs’ numerous innovations not only changed the world, but they also developed the personal computer industry. The Apple co-founder never seized to amaze his audience with his endless unique innovations. Throughout his career, Jobs contributed to the technology industry with devices such as the Macintosh, iPod, iPhone, iPad, iMac and MacBook (O'Reilly, 2011). His death on October 5, 2011 marked the end of an innovative streak (O'Reilly, 2011).
From 1980 to 1996, Apple’s competitive range in the PC industry was rocky. Although Apples products were unique and well built, they were overpriced compared to competing products from IBM and others. As competitor prices dropped, Apple prices stayed the same and the company saw a decline in sales as customers opted to purchase from its competitors. John Sculley, former CEO of Apple, took many steps to improve the company’s competitive advantage. One of those steps was to compete with price by producing a low-cost computers that appealed to a mass-market. The second step was to form an alliance with rivals IBM and Novel in order to create new operating systems and applications...
Organisation Analysis Apple - Value proposition and Culture Apple - Company Description Apple Inc., was founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne on 1976, is an American multinational corporation headquartered in Cupertino, California, that designs, develops, and sells consumer electronics, computer software and personal computers. Its best-known hardware products are the Mac line of computers, the iPod media player, the iPhone smartphone, and the iPad tablet computer. Its consumer software includes the OS X and iOS operating systems, the iTunes media browser, the Safari web browser, and the iLife and iWork creativity and productivity suites. Apple is the world's second-largest information technology company by revenue and the world's third-largest mobile phone maker. “Fortune” magazine named Apple the most admired company in the United States in 2008, and in the world from 2008 to 2012.
In almost every part of the world Apple and at least one of their products is known. The Apple brand started in the 1970s. Three men founded the organization in 1976, to produce a computer that every citizen could use personally (Sohail, 2010). The first item released was the Apple 1 personal computer kit made by Steve Wozniak (Sohail, 2010). Through the 70s, Apple concentrated on developing storing technologies such as the floppy disk and the use of color, graphics, and spreadsheets used for business (Sohail, 2010). Apple was about to have their first major product release with a million dollar ad campaign. This was the release of the Macintosh personal computer, which also led to Apple’s great reputation (Sohail, 2010).
Apple Inc is a multinational organization in America and has its headquarters in California. The organization specializes in the design as well as development of consumer electronics including: computer software 's, and also personal computers. The organization has for long been offering a broad range of communication mobile communication as well as its own company software’s. The organization has quite an upright name in the business world. For a long period it has been producing quality product and their designers really bring out uniqueness in their products (Linzmayer, 2004). Apple Inc has established itself as being the world’s leader in innovation. Thus according to statistics; it is classified as being the fourth most valuable technology
It was Steve Jobs who made Apple leave the garage and make leaps and bounds in the world of technology. Steve Wozniak made the first prototype, but it was Jobs who “saw the potential” in his computer and persuaded Wozniak to sell it (Peterson 106). Even though that first computer saw very little success, Jobs knew that Apple had potential and so released the Apple II. From the beginning Jobs knew what the consumers wanted, and where computers were going to take the world; he had a vision of the opportunities in technology and saw that Apple needed to move in a different direction. In 1984, one year before he left, Jobs finished the Macintosh computer system. He was pushed from his original computer design project, “the Lisa”, and then raced to release the Mac first, but the Lisa was released to the public first. Although the Lisa came out first, the Mac “[became] synonymous with Apple, mark[ing] a…revolution in…personal computing,” (Peterson 106).
In fact, about this business one can easily write a few weighty books. Without exaggeration, we can say that Apple is one of the brightest technology companies that appeared in the 70s of the last century. Due to innovative technology and aesthetic design, Apple Inc. has established a unique reputation comparable to the cult in the consumer electronics industry. In 2014 the company was ranked first in the world by market capitalization. The concept of the brand is built around the slogan 'Think different’ (Linzmayer, 2004).
Steve Jobs one of the founding fathers of Apple Inc used strategic planning to his advantage by making Apple’s mission a simple one- bringing easy to use computers to the general market, revolutionizing the computer market. In 2007, after thirty years, the organization changed its name from Apple Computer to Apple Inc., this was a significant move because the organization became more independent, and it was no longer known as a vendor to Macintosh personal computer line (Yoffie & Slind, 2008). This strategic move paid off; a year and half later, Apple Inc.’s third quarter net profit of $1.07 billion on a $7.46 billion in revenue (Yoffie & Slind, 2008). SWOT Analysis of Apple, Inc. Strengths (Competitive Advantage)
Apple has made reasonable management of its human and material resources since its innovational approach demands effective strategic allocation of its resources to the development and utilization of its productive resources to support its innovative investment strategies. Effective strategic control brings power to Apple’s decision-makers to allocate its resources to confront the technological, market, and competitive uncertainties which are inherent in the innovation
Apple Inc. was established by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak on April 1, 1976 as a computer designer, developer and seller company. However, the company shifted its focus from only personal computer to include other consumer electronics such as portable media player and mobile phone in 2007. Apple Inc becomes one of the most popular makers in its field since it seems that its popularity has increased according to a report on www.statista.com that Apple Inc’s products sales was generally increasing throughout the first quarter of 2006 to the first quarter of 2014. On the one hand, it has increased its revenue from about 14 billion US dollars to more than 170 billion US dollars in 2013. All in all, the company is highly successful corresponding to its products’ development and their sales growth in world’s market.
Apple Inc. is in a transition period, after the demise of Steve Jobs. The company seeks methods that will recover market share. The implementation is an essential part of the strategic plan and its main concern is how to diversify product offerings. In addition, retain customer loyalty and be a leader in the mobile marketplace. Moorman (2012), “ Apple has used these principles to become the world’s most valuable company (measured by market capitalization) and one of world’s most valuable brands” (para.6). The program directs the following areas of concern: short-term goals, specific functional tactics, outsource nonessential functions, and plan an effective reward.
We think Steve Jobs was a successful leader because he was imaginative, passionate about his job, he had the ability to push employees to create new things, had confidence, and believed in collaboration. Under Steve Jobs' leadership Apple was an innovative company and under Tim Cook's leadership Apple is now being seen as more of charitable, socially and ethically responsible company. While [he’s heard the repeated refrains that “Apple can’t innovate under Tim,” that the company needed a low-cost iPhone to thwart the progress of Google’s Android, that Cook never could replicate the Jobs magic—and therefore that Apple never again would be “insanely great.” ] (Lashinsky, 2015), he hasn’t changed his methods since Jobs’ passing and continues to lead in a way that he believes will raise Apple’s value in the eyes of society.