Apple, Inc. SWOT analysis

Overall in the past few years Apple has become more and more successful through preparing for the growth of E-Business for today’s society. The company has taken in and analysed competitors behaviour in order to remain market leaders and stay at the forefront of high end products such as IPhone and there IMacs range. Apple have tried to create a unique feel for their products when compared with Microsoft they have been trying to play catch up with Apple in all the same categories they both operate in. Apple use very different marketing techniques compared to Microsoft which has made Apple the number one brand in the world.

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.

The information technology industry is very dynamic and extremely competitive. Being an innovator and trendsetter Apple relies on new product development through its research and development division to

Apple has a strong financial foundation which allows company growth and allows them to maintain the competitive edge.

Apple has prospered internally and it is necessary to consider both strengths and weaknesses. Apple has lots of strengths, the major of them being it’s impressive brand reputation, Apple managed to position the brand as “premium products” for “elite” people. Customers are loyal and tend to stay in Apple’s ecosystem. Apple’s self-reinforcing ecosystem, it has a diverse ecosystem which integrates various hardware and software products into one large interactive space. Status of top innovator, Apple is perceived as the leading innovator and its products are highly anticipated. Apple’s very strong financial performance, high profit margins and very high liquidity. It’s network of retail stores, high-quality customer service helps to create advanced user experience. A powerful marketing strategy, Apple’s team masterly uses various marketing techniques to create a hype for their products and to strengthen the brand.

The multi billion-dollar corporation, Apple Inc., designs and manufactures some of today’s highest technological gizmos and gadgets. Among their best known products are the Apple and Macintosh computers, iPods, iTunes, iPhones and iPads. Apple is one of the most powerful and influential high tech companies in the world. The success of Apple Inc. stems from the innovation and visions of co-founder and entrepreneur, Steve Jobs, the excellence of the stylish, user-friendly products, and the ability to create innovative products that consumer’s desire.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) is one of the world leaders in the research, development, marketing, sales and service of personal digital music & video devices, in addition to personal computers globally. Its' innovative music and digital content delivery service, iTunes, has sold over 1 billion songs to date. As of the close of their latest fiscal year the company generated $156B in Sales and generated a Gross Profit of $68B earning a Net Income of $41B (Apple Investor Relations, 2013). The intent of this analysis is to evaluate Apple's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) and provide an analysis of each. The cause, impact and recommendations for each specific strength, weakness, opportunity and threat are provided along with an action plan of how to maximize strengths and opportunities and mitigate the effects of weaknesses and threats. The Apple brand is among the most valuable in the world and its ability to innovate with successive product generations unmatched, yet this has led to a high dependence on its iPhone and iPad platforms, to the exclusion of entirely new businesses. The Apple iTunes platform and ecosystem delivers 30% of all profits and a significant portion of overall revenue, making this single business a stabilizing force in their strategic product and services roadmap (Apple Investor Relations, 2013). Despite these challenges however Apple continues to attain

IT is one of the highest earning industry and companies who have evolved and innovated have been able to maintain their position. Apple has always been a trend setter in the consumer electronics business and has a very aggressive innovation philosophy. Apple’s investments in unique and advanced technology has always helped it stay ahead of its competition and maintain its position. Apple can exploit the trends in cloud computing by continuing to invest in technology and devices that can be connected seamlessly. Additionally, the apps markets continue to grow and Apple can continue to benefit from

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.

Apple Inc. can pay its current and long-term debt obligations or liabilities, has tremendous tangible and intangible assets worth billions of dollars, and has a vast reservoir of investors, lenders, and shareholders providing all the finances for running the corporation 's operations. Like every business organization, Apple Inc. sells more in some products than others. To illustrate, Apple Inc. sells more on phones than Ipads. I do not have any doubt that Apple Inc. will make more sales in revenue and profits in the next five years ahead. Base on the fact that Apple Inc. is consistently researching and upgrading their products to meet the business and personal needs of their growing clientele.

Apple has tripled its market capitalization in about 4 years to more than 600 million putting Apple as the largest company in the world (Kroenke, 2013). Why has Apple been so successful? Apple has many important factors as to why they are number 1 at selling technological products. We can point out millions of reasons why this company keeps booming, but we’ll take a look at 3 main ones. The consumers’ ability to walk into the Apple store and not only be treated like the customer but also like a friend sets Apple apart from other retailers. The employees of Apple are highly trained professionals who know the key factors to winning their customers. When you walk into the store you are immediately greeted, and asked "What would you like to do today?” unlike other big box stores who generally make customers look around 5-10 times to finally find someone who can assist

Nowadays, Apple has positioned itself to be an innovator in the personal computer industry and Apple has developed by offering modern products compared to its competitors. According to Apple’s mission statement last year, “Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.” (Business Management,

Apple Computer is an innovative company evolving on the multimedia and high technology market. It is present on hardware and software markets, as well as in the on-line services market. Its highly diversified offer makes Apple Computers a company that is very hard to manage.

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. is the most revered corporation of the USA, both in terms of brand equity and market capitalization. The company’s international competitive strategy is focused on the innovative product development, which Apple controls through its eight business segments: Portables, Desktops, iPads, iPhones, Music related products and services, peripherals and hardware (Lam et al. 2005).