Apple Powerbook Case Write-Up

In 1996, Apple was a struggling company that had lost more than 70% of its market capitalization in the past decade. Apple’s sales had fell dramatically and their new personal computers weren’t particularly popular with consumers. The return of Steve Jobs to the company was a turning point for Apple and initiated a new era for the firm. With the launch of innovative products such as the iPod, iPhone and iPad, Apple became the biggest brand in the world. Now it remained to be seen if Tim Cook would be able to continue to develop new products and maintain Apple’s success.

Technology change has naturally been a major factor in Apple's success. The company played a major role in the shift to a mobile computing society, by developing the personal technology devices that would

Apple wants to expand sales to clients who do not own products. Produce hassles free products for the enjoyment for customers. Become the leader in the mobile market. Strategy: Expanding the company’s distribution network to hit more consumers. Continue to invest prudently in Research and Development. Become the mobile leader.

The first steps in the mobile phone market let us understand once more what the key points in Apple strategy are. Innovation and Exclusivity go together, a higher-than-the-average price place the new device as a cult and trend object, something everybody want to have, a real status symbol. In few words Apple probably believes that a key concept in Innovation is the creation of a need. Along with the innovation in design, Apple is a pioneer and a leader as well in Environmental issues, another innovative approach that is granting more and more importance among customers of any product and people in general, due to very sensitive issue like Global Warming and home safety.

Apple is a technology company that is forever changing. From the iPod to the iTouch/iPhone to the Mac, Apple’s rapid growth as a technology superpower could not have been possible without an intricate information system. The innovation of Apple over the years has seen unprecedented advances in the way we look at technology. This is important to Apple because they have expanded their range of business and revolutionized their product. The problem with this is that not a lot of companies and businesses see Apple as unnecessary

Apple Computers is a well-established and highly profitable company that has several leading technology- and computer-based products on the market, and that retains a highly loyal consumer base in its niche personal computing market (Yahoo Finance, 2012; Hoovers, 2012). Though the company faltered for some time in its history, it has again reached the pinnacle of innovation and progress in the computing and technology industries, and its product rollouts constitute some of the most anticipated and avidly watched events each year by early adopters and investors alike (Yahoo Finance, 2012; Hoovers, 2012). Despite the recent passing of Steve Jobs, one of the company's founders and the company's CEO and public face during the company's resurgence over the past decade-and-a-half, most projections for the company are optimistic in both the short and long terms (Yahoo Finance, 2012).

In the last decade Apple Inc. has yielded exponential growth. As a company, the imaginative and invocative approaches of technological product advancements have enable Apple, Inc. to achieve an elite status among technology companies throughout the world. Apple, Inc. serves as an inspiration to many companies through higher benchmark standards they created. Though their product margin is not as vast as most technological competitors, Apple, Inc. innovates and releases a new product to consumers. Apple, Inc. has proven to able to move and create new markets with one product that allows Apple, Inc. to rain as the elite player in technology.

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.

First, Apple introduced a new OS in 2001. Second, Apple shifted to Intel chips and by the following year all Macintosh line ran on Intel making laptops run faster for less power. The third strategy was the development of proprietary set of applications. The fourth strategy in becoming the “digital hub” was to come up with a new distribution strategy: the Apple retail store, where customers can have a direct use and experience of Apple’s product and software.

In 1997, Steve Jobs returned to Apple as an advisory and with the purposes of reshaping the product line. The changes made by Jobs resulted in increased sales and $309 million in profits. Job changed the mindset of Apples management and development team. He encourage them to have the “think different” management style that promotes the development of products that are ahead of the technology and design curve, and a creative retail strategy. It is this strategy that would eventually make Apple the best-selling company in the PC industry.

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 has done an excellent job of developing a very distinct strategy through industry leading innovation. This strategy has allowed them to be the frontrunners in new product introductions and the improvement of existing products. Apple has employed a differentiation strategy in an attempt to meet the needs of a global market by offering customers innovative new products and improved existing products. An important part of their strategy involves meeting the needs of the evolving digital electronics and computer markets. Apple has chosen to implement its strategy by designing and developing its

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,

With Apple being so far ahead of their competition, the only problem one can foresee in Apple’s future is how long they can sustain such innovation before they plateau. Apple does a phenomenal job at releasing their innovative products before their competition, but if their innovation cannot hold steady, this may lead to changes in demand for their products considerably. This can be seen with their release of the iPhone, the first successful touch screen cellular phone. Although people swarmed to the iPhone when it was first released because of its advanced technology, as the years have passed, other similar designs, including those with android and windows based operating systems, have drawn a considerable portion of the market. A clear representation of Apple’s attempt to regain some of this market can be seen when the iPhone was released to Verizon Wireless’ customers in

Apple has always been something of a trendsetter in the tech space. Its product history since Steve Jobs’s return in 1997 gives us a solid list of examples to choose from, from its very first iPod, to Apple’s PowerBook (and later MacBook) lines, to the iPhone and the iPad. Apple’s history is dominated by products that existed before Apple had a crack at them - but it was Apple who simplified them, made them appealing on a much wider scale, and ultimately made them objects of desire for the masses.