Apple in 2013: How to Sustain a Competitive Advantage

Apple Incorporation is one of the largest organizations dealing into Information Technology. Apple has a host of products ranging from Laptops, Desktops, Mobile Phones and Multimedia Devices. The company has been extremely innovative in the field of multimedia and it owes it success to one of the greatest innovators, Steve Jobs. The company has always believed in innovation and that is the major reason why it has been so successful in the mobile phone segment. In recent years Apple is second only to Samsung in the Global Mobile Phone industry. However the operations have been largely based in the United States and in times of recession any organization needs to focus on economies of scale and thus focus on growth

It is quite obvious from the case that Apple is facing many obstacles. It has way more competitors today than it had two or three decades back. Part of it has to with the highly globalized environment that companies are operating in these days. Another major obstacle is the technological environment which is rapidly changing compared to the one that Apple experienced when it first emerged on the global scene. But the most important of it all seems to be a mental thing. It appears that Apple, over a period of time, developed a rigid mental model that related success of Apple with sheer innovation. This same mental model has lead to demise of many companies in the past, Xerox Corporation being the prime example of that.

Apple Inc, best known as Apple is an American based global company that designs and sells electronics, PCs and computer software. The company was established in 1976 by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak and was incorporated in 1977. Some of the Apple’s best-known products are the Macintosh range of personal computers, iPod, iPhone, and iPad. By 2012, Apple reported to have more than 300 retail stores located in more than 10 countries in the world and more than 60, 000 employees on permanent employment, and about 2,800 on temporal employment. Despite the success the company, Apple has faced hard competition from other electronics manufacturing companies. The objective of this paper is to develop a strategic plan that will enable Apple improve its position in the personal computer industry. The paper will use Michael Porter’s forces; key success factors, SWOT analysis and the competitive strength to point out specific, workable recommendations that will allow Apple stay afloat and improve its position in the personal computer industry (Gamble & Marino 2012).

All of these elements are key factors in Apple’s Strategy. Apple has also provided competitive prices compared to other companies like Android. Apple’s products started at much higher prices and are now competitively priced based on comparable products. These key elements fit together to complete Apple’s ever changing competitive strategy. Apple has clearly been successful in adapting their strategy based on internal and external changes. Apple has been able to create strong customer loyalty and maintain ambitious leadership. Buyer power, rivalry and treat of substitutes are also key elements in Apple’s strategy. Music, internet and computers are all areas for long term development.

They could leverage opportunities by being able to maintain their devoted customers and offer to them discounts or special promotions for the products. This would attract other potential customers. The potential damage may occur if Apple is not able to stay in the competition or cannot innovate; they are threatened if Google’s Android is advancing faster and faster because people like to stay in touch with the technology and would choose the best product in the market.

In this report, I prove that Apple’s iPhone has dominated all other smartphones in the years leading up to 2016. It is the epitome of what a globally recognized product can accomplish when considering how quickly it globalized and the image it provides for those who buy an iPhone. Owning one of these phones is not only a statement, it holds power and value that other smartphones simply cannot top. The company owns the stage when compared to other smartphones, and it’s journey to become the world’s second-largest mobile phone manufacturer is truly incredible. In fact, not only does it lead in technology and phone production, it’s become the largest publicly traded TNC in the world. Everything from its assets to its brand loyalty prove why it has expanded across the globe, and will continue to for many years to come. Apple Inc. has globally expanded by outsourcing nearly every level of its production and became one of the most successful and revolutionary TNC’s in the world, mainly due to the release of the infamous iPhone in 2007.

It’s quite clear that the actual strategy of Steve Jobs and Apple goes toward a biggest share of the computer markets, although it’s never sure in which way they plan to improve/achieve such a goal. Another key issue in up-to-today Apple strategy is it’s entrance on mobile markets, due to the big importance the telecommunications and their integration with all the other existing electronic devices (VOIP, UMTS, mobile broadband internet etc) has in shaping a so-called digital era/revolution.

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.

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., formerly Apple Computer, Inc., is a multinational corporation that designs, manufactures and markets mobile communication and media devices, personal computers, and portable digital music players, including a variety of related software, services, peripherals, networking solutions, and third-party digital content and applications. Its most popular hardware products are the series of Mac computers, the iPod, the iPhone, and the iPad. Its software includes the OS X for Mac computers and iOS operating systems for mobile devices, the iTunes media browser, the Safari web browser, and the iLife and iWork creativity and production suites.

Its best-known hardware products are the Mac line of computers, the iPod media player, the iPhone smartphone, and the iPad tablet computer. In May 2013, Apple entered the top ten of the Fortune 500 list of companies for the first time. On September 30, 2013, Apple surpassed Coca-Cola to become the world's most valuable brand in the Omnicom Group's "Best Global Brands" report. Apple Inc. is the largest publicly traded corporation in the world and the largest technological company in the world by means of market capitalization, with an estimated market capitalization of $446 billion by January 2014. As a result, Fortune magazine named Apple the most admired company in the world from 2008 to 2012 because it has legions of adoring fans.

Established in 1976, Apple ignited the personal computer revolution with the Apple II and the Macintosh. Today, Apple designs, manufactures and markets personal computers, portable digital music players and mobile communication devices as well as related software, services, peripherals and network solutions. Apple sells its products worldwide through its online stores, retail stores, direct sales forces and third party distributors to its core customers—consumers,

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.

1. What are the chief elements of Apple’s overall competitive strategy? How well do the pieces fit together? Is the strategy evolving?

This paper aims to highlight and discuss the major challenges and opportunities which Apple Inc. faces while bringing innovation in the four primary areas of its business operations; including product innovation, process innovation, marketing innovation, and organizational innovation. The major focus of the paper is towards discussing the combination of all these processes which this organization follows and the major challenges which it faces in the course of its innovation or change strategies. The paper concludes by summarizing the importance of innovation for Apple Inc. in the light of the whole discussion.