Comparative Analysis And Conclusion For Apple

With Apple the Growth has been substantial and it can be stated that the Products have reached a maturity stage and hence there is a chance of decline. This has also been evidenced to certain extent as Samsung has taken over as the market leader in the mobile phone segment. The emergence of cheaper brands like Lenovo etc has also been a challenge for IT products of Apple. However it is also true that Apple has always focussed on consumer trends and demands and thus has been capable of avoiding the decline stages. Further market development and diversification strategies have been suitably implemented

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.

Since 1976 Apple’s innovation has helped the company become a market leader in computer and mobile electronics. Through this time the company has faced a number of challenges either it be an internal power struggles or criticism from the media for certain aspects of their business model. This report covers five different issues that the company is facing or may face in the future.

The other nine are limited to only official iPhone pages which merely provide information about Apple products (Anon., 2010) .Therefore although Apple is avaible in almost all areas of the world the extent in which it is availble is limited. Apple is a constantly growing company so it may not be long before it is fully available world wide which means Apple is limited in how globally distanct it is. Futhermore Apples ability to expand may be effected not only by Apples own ambition and desire to do so but also by the restrictions placed on a nation by its government. For example in china apple had no real presence until January 2014 (Bloomberg, 2013) where it was only through agreeing a deal with a Chinese network ‘China Mobile’ was apple able to gain a foothold in china despite many of the components of there products being assembled in that general region. This therefore also shows a limiting factor to Apple’s ability to being global in distance by highlighting the power and influence states can have on a company’s ability to expand into those regions.

Apple has benefitted significantly from globalization and from technology change. For example, the company started primarily as an American company, but globalization has allowed Apple to become a multinational operation. The company only derives around one-third of sales form the Americas according to the annual report, a figure that includes Canada and all of Latin America in addition to the United States. The company therefore can be said to sell globally. Sales in Asia-Pacific were growing especially fast, and the company has numerous flagship stores in the region.

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.

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.

Apple’s main industries, personal computer, portable music player and mobile phone industries, are generally in the Shakeout Phase. These industries reflect Investopedia’s traits of a Shakeout Phase :

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.

Once again Apple has been the first to the market when it comes to new features such as the touch screen, which has helped to keep its competition at arms length. Like all other Apple products, the smartphone is seen by many consumers in the industry as fashionable and a must have. Also Apple’s online music store support has also been a huge lift to its smartphones, as consumers can download music and thousands of applications.

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

In this report I will include all the positive areas and Recommend for market development for the iPhone to get maximum shares in smartphone market.

Apple operates with fierce competition in the consumer electronics segment which comes in many different forms. There are a large number of competitors in the different market niches who offer many similar products. Furthermore, many of these competitors' products are priced much less than an Apple branded products. Just as soon as Apple releases a new product, major companies begin imitating it immediately. In the personal computer industry, market pressure is continuously being exerted from such companies such as IBM, Dell, HP, and Toshiba (Wildstrom, 2009). Furthermore, with its flagship product the IPhone, Apple competes with companies like HTC, Palm, Blackberry, and Motorola (Wortham, 2011). Apple has had significant success despite the competitive environment because Apple commands a brand loyalty and dedication to innovation that few companies have ever achieved.

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).