Apple & Creativity

One of the major challenges facing Apple was to get the appropriate replacement of the company’s visionary Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Steve Jobs who died on October 2011. The CEO was responsible for turning Apple into what it is today. Apple is in this case challenged to purse the strategies employed by Steve, that propelled the company to new heights, and which saw the company become a

One key element of Apple’s strategy in computers, personal media players, tablet computers, and smart phones is product innovation, diversification and development. Over the years Apple has been very successful in integrating software and hardware in new developing products. Despite the struggling economy in recent years, Apple has been able to grow their market share and stay ahead of the game.

Apple is one of the largest growing companies in America. They are consistently growing and improving the latest technology that has generated from the communication industry. In view of the fact that these successfully large companies need to be run by proficient leaders who have exceptional management skills to continue to companies rise in its business. The four functions of management are Planning, Organizing, Leading, and Controlling. These four functions are vital to running a thriving company. Apple is a tremendous corporation that uses these strategic strategies to develop and promote its technology in the communication field. In this paper I

What is innovation at Apple? What is the (a) role of the product, and (b) role of their leadership in their success?

There are various threats in the external environment that influences Apple. Rapid technological development and change is a problem, the company might be set aside by a competitor who invents a newer technology. Tax increases have also influenced Apple. Apple’s profits went down due to new taxes. Patent breaches pose a huge threat, competitors might imitate their technology and make profit on these features. Appreciation of the dollar, Apple’s profits in foreign countries are reduced due to strengthening the dollar. The growing popularity of Android, widespread use of this operating system makes Apple’s infrastructure less attractive for customers. Increasing labor costs in Asia, the protests of workers in Asia, especially Foxconn

I learned that Apple is a juggernaut when it comes to their technological products and marketing goals. Apple focuses on the needs of customer’s light years ahead of their competition and even before most consumers have realized they want Apple’s products. Through their innovative marketing involving social media, word of mouth, Apple Stores they have convinced consumers about the high value of their product even lending to the formation of a “Mac cult” for its diehard fans. The way ahead for Apple is not to lose sight of its brand loyalty and continue to service the customers and entice them with the brand’s prestige. Even with the death of Steve Jobs, I believe Apple forge ahead to differentiate itself from the markets they are in.

Apple Inc. has been dedicated to innovation ever since the company was first formed. Apple's recent breakthroughs were a result of a new technologies convergence upon the "digital hub" strategy (Mortensen, 2010). This strategy has served Apple well; especially during the last few years. The iPad, iPod, and iPhone were all born from this strategy. Furthermore, producing these innovative, user friendly, and design oriented products has earned them a considerable amount of customer loyalty.

• Amabile: How to Kill Creativity? Harvard Business Review 1998 (course packet; writeup 1. For Feb 5)

The people Apple markets toward are the creative individuals. One of the former presidents for Apple products, Jean Gassee, was quoted April 18, 1996 in Rolling Stone saying, “We must give our user pure sex. It’s like a rendezvous in the back seat of an automobile with a beautiful girl. One’s experience should be better than the greatest orgasm you could have.” Giving the user something that is thought to be out of reach is what Apple stands

Apple's strengths include the following. First, the company has a unique and highly differentiation supply chain that is able to quickly take conceptual designs and transform them into finished products (Cusumano, 2008). Complimenting their supply chain is their second significant strength which is their new product development and innovation processes that continually create products that redefine entire product categories (Cole, Matsumiya, 2007). Third, the creation and continual development of the Apple iTunes platform has revolutionized the music and electronics industries, illustrating the power of a platform to monetize a business (Jonash, Koehler, Onassis, 2007). Fourth, Apple has created a unique organizational structure that is very difficult to replicate, taking product engineering, ergonomics and usability, and

Even though Apple has encountered many setbacks, it continues to bring new and improve products to the market. Apple’s competitive strategy has been innovation. They have made an extraordinary effort developing, implementing, and executing its very unique strategy through innovation which has resulted in new product, and the enrichment of the existing ones. More specifically, Apple attempts to meet and supply the needs of a global market, by offering eager and enthusiastic consumers with innovated and high-quality products and services. Apple has employed a differentiation strategy linked to innovation with its three core products (computers, personal media player, mobile phones, tablets and other accessories). A key piece of their strategy involves meeting the needs of the converging digital electronics and computer markets. Apple has elected to implement its strategy by designing and developing proprietary operating systems and software technologies, thus allowing for strict protection of its intellectual rights.

In return, they have a strong financial backing, brand reputation, strong marketing and advertising teams. Apple plans to take these strengths and prosper off of them. Taking the amount of brand awareness they have built along with their benefit of retail stores the company can plan to use their strong marketing and advertising teams to launch a new product.

Apple Inc. has strived to achieve and maximize its product line and revenue and be the world’s leader within the society of technology. “During the last 20 years, Apple Incorporated has done exactly this with consistent brilliance shown within the products Apple Incorporated invents and provides to not only America but the world. The idea of this case study is to explore and research Apple Inc.’s adopted business plan, the plan that led to the creation of a new found market, i.e. microcomputers and later iPods and iPhones (Strategic Management Insight, 2013. SWOT analysis of Apple).”

Apple implemented system thinking by limiting its capacity to very few products and performing this implementation as simple as possible. They solved complex issues in a simple way. For example, implementing vertical integration

Apple currently focuses on differentiation through offering products that set them apart from competitors. One strategy Apple could focus on is developing a product that combines current applications. An example of this would be including a drawing tool that allows the consumer to easily share information with others. The consumer would be able to