Apple's SWOT Analysis

This paper is a business situation analysis of Apple, Inc. Apple a market leader in the consumer computer industry with products including desktop, laptop, and handheld computers, as well phones, media streaming, and now watches. A multinational company, Apple was founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne on April 1, 1976. They specialize in designing, developing, and selling high-end computers, software, and other electronic devices. Because of Apple’s broad product portfolio they compete with many different companies in a range of markets. This analysis will be conducted using historical information, a SWOT analysis, and portions of Porter’s Five Forces Model to understand its business strategies, impact within markets, products and services offered, corporate leadership, and future.

We chose to research Apple Incorporated, one of the most innovative companies of our generation. It is safe to say that nearly every one in the US and many foreign countries have used or at least heard of Apple products. We will be looking at the macroeconomic variables that impact Apple’s business as well as how the current developments in the industry have impacted Apple’s financials and we will also look at how Apple competes with other firms in the same industry.

It is clear that a strong brand image is very important for Apple Inc. because a strong brand image is one that consumers trust and feel is a sound investment representing value for their money. The company's financial performance is robust and this certainly is a positive attribute and predictor for survival of the company in the present economic crisis because Apple Inc. is well established and financially sound. Apple Inc. focuses on research and development which means that the company will stay abreast

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. is a technologically-based electronics company which sells various innovative products and services to the international community. Apple has experienced a wide array of successes and failures throughout its history until eventually becoming the number one brand name on the international market as a result of product innovation. This case study provides a brief analysis of the company outlining its history, growth and development, structure, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats; also to include, author recommendations and a simplistic SWOT analysis.

And the last statement to study is cash flow, this is a A revenue or expense stream that changes a cash account over a given period. Cash inflows

Apple Inc.’s internal structure has become flexible as divisions are specifically established to develop the latest product and maintain a competitive advantage. Apples industry segments were than explored and it was noted that it was not possible to absolutely define a market which Apple consistently performed in. Apple Inc.’s multi-functional product base gave a clearly indication of the underlying strategic management at play. It was accepted that Apple has defined its own market segment, that of ‘mobile electronic devices’. The four main strategic management themes of M.E. Porter (focus, differentiation and cost leadership), G. Hamel & C.K. Prahalad (structuralist), W.C. Kim and R. Mauborgne (reconstructionist) and J. Ridderstråle and K. Nordström (intellect, uniqueness and innovation) were examined in light of Apple Inc.’s most recent performance. The Blue Ocean Strategy and the Funky Business Strategy models were found to be the most applicable and helped explained Apple Inc.’s sustained and phenomenal rise in business performance. Finally, strategy recommendations for the future direction of Apple Inc were explored by the use of a Strategy Canvas. Possible pitfalls and hypothetical futuristic products were also explored. The single most strategic liability identified was the departure of the CEO Steve Jobs from Apple which could potentially be

Apple Inc. Company is an American corporation that designs and manufactures computer hardware, software and other consumer electronics such as mobile phones, music and video players. The company is best known for their Macintosh personal computer line, Mac OS X, extremely loyal user-base, iTunes media application and the iPod personal music player. The company boasts 284 retail locations spanning 10 different countries (Dougherty, Michael (2010). Apple Inc. Company provides services to businesses such as education institutions, medium to small businesses and government agencies. In this paper I will be discussing the company’s SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) to help understand the company's current position and again what will happen to the company business in the future for the iPhone 8. The company has experienced a tremendous growth since the introduction of the iPhone.

In today's competitive environment, companies are increasingly aware of potential threats that could affect businesses. SWOT analysis is a tool to analyze strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for the internal and external environment. The purpose of SWOT analysis is to develop a fuller awareness of the situation that will help with strategic planning and decision making of companies. Furthermore, the paper will critically assess the SWOT analysis of Apple company.

ITunes Music Store is an outstanding source of revenue, especially with the iPod and its availability to access Windows platform.

Apple is now a multinational company that sells and creates electronics in stores all over the world. This success can be attributed to its high brand awareness and key financial decisions. Apple’s strategy is mostly based on great financial management; which has helped to allow them to gross well over four hundred and fifty billion dollars as a brand. This amount is significantly higher compared to competitors like IBM, Microsoft, and Google. “Last year, Apple reached a record high of seven hundred billion dollars and is expected to exceed more than one trillion dollars in the upcoming years (Gupta, A., & Prinzinger, J. 2013).”

PESTEL Analysis consist of political, economic, social, technological, environmental, and legal factors that make up an organization and for this paper we will analysis Apple as a company and their products. Apple is among the fastest growing company that has made itself a recognizable consumer name for electronics and gadgets. Investors have always looked forward for investing in Apple due to its strong revenue and high return on investment. Started operating as a traditional computer company, it has continuously come up with new ideas and products. Using the PESTEL analysis identifies the most significant external factors that Apple must include in addressing its remote or macro-environment. Finch says, “The process of systematically assessing how elements of the external environment will impact a business or market is termed environmental scanning. Factors of particular concern to marketing managers include those issues and trends that influence the attitudes and behavior of current and prospective target markets”, (Finch, 2012). The company was founded by Steven Paul Jobs, Ronald Gerald Wayne, and Stephen G. Wozniak on April 1, 1976 and is headquartered in Cupertino, CA,” (CNN). Apple products was first known to be the most expensive, versatile and fast moving product in today’s technology evolving from computers to now cell phones and music players, but Apple was used more by professionals and creators and now are available to anyone.

Founded in 1976, Apple Inc. has been largely successful and has experienced incredible expansion in its history. Starting with the production of the PC in the 70s, Apple became the most valuable company in the world in 2012. Apple Inc. went through extensive renovation, after the company introduced IPod with its ITunes Store that served like a digital marketplace and offered consumers access to musical collections at reasonable prices. In addition, Apple introduced IPhone with its App Store that provided customers with various mobile applications. Both markets were copyright-protected platforms, which inspired artists and app-developers to use platforms. In 2011, Apple presented IPad, a product designed to integrate work process, telecommunication, and media concurrently. In 2015, Apple expanded and launched the Apple Watch in main global markets. As for now, Apple has managed to become a leader in IT industry producing computers, laptops, mp3 players, mobile devices and various software as well. The company is considered to be one of the industry’s pioneers, being the first one to create properly personal computers, first multicolor monitors, first operational systems with graphic interface, first musical internet store etc. Apple keeps on prospering, launching new electronic devices every year which only boosts the hype among its loyal customers and manages to attract thousands of new ones. Trying to expand the business on to many other different

In a modern society, human resources management is always a complicated matter; managers find it difficult to give answers to human resource questions such as: how to exploit strengths, overcome weaknesses, or increase ability of competition. There are many solutions to deal with this matter, one of these is using the SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats), it is considered an ideal answer. Many companies were trying to apply that solution in their organizations, however the results were not always what they expected, and some organizations failed in performing the SWOT strategy, some companies also succeeded. The Apple Company is known as typical company which is successful in performing SWOT analysis. This

Since then, Apple’s success in the US market has continued and the global popularity of its products has skyrocketed. The company’s international revenue has outrun US sales in recent years and significantly contributed to its rapid growth. Apple has grown into a global empire that designs, manufactures and markets mobile communication and media devices, portable digital music players, personal computers, and sells a wide range of related software and third-party digital content and applications (Apple, 2014).