Comparison of Apple and MatsSoft

This overall suggests that the integration of the two businesses has made them more competitive.

The battle for the mobile computing market share between Apple and Google wouldn’t matter much if there wasn’t so much potential money at stake, and the majority of that money will come from advertising. App sales are another important component, especially for Apple. What irritated Steve Jobs about Google OS was that the Android phones offered many features that Apple had created, including the overall look of the devices and the use of multi-touch finger swiping.

This paper comprehensively describes the marketing plan of a charismatic organization Apple Inc. The main focus of the paper is to describe the most important marketing strategies which Apple has espoused from the date of its emergence and different challenges which it has faced from time to time. The paper begins with an introduction to the organization. Apple Inc. is an American MNC; engaged in the business of developing and marketing of IT products. Apple has expanded its business operations all over the world. Every product which Apple introduces has its own target market; it develops marketing plan and strategies for each of its products separately (Apple, 2012). Apple's strengths include strong brand image, financial strength, product and process design, and highly efficient operations management while high prices and inability of up gradation of some products are its main weaknesses. Apple has threats from its competitors, increasing costs, and economic situations but has greater opportunities in entering new markets, making strategic alliances, and bringing innovations through efficient R&D. Before entering new markets, Apple has to analyze the business environment through sensitivity analysis, and then decide a framework for the future strategies.

Q3: What accounts for these differences? How much of the difference is inherent in the way each of the two companies competes? How much is due strictly to differences in the efficiency of the operations?

Answer: Both Companies are acting on a high-tech market. The development and progress in this market is really fast.

In terms of stock price Apple and Google have both experienced tremendous growth in the past four years. Currently, Google has a higher stock price and has offered investors the greatest chance to increase their stock portfolio value. In September of 2008 it began at approximately 310 points and has risen to 633 points in September 2011. That represents a 49% increase over a four year time span. Apple began at 128 points and grew to 515 points in 2011, representing a 25% increase in stock price. A side by side comparison of stock prices at the fiscal year end demonstrates the effects of this climb. Apple's fiscal year ends on September 24 and Google's ends on December 31 (Google Investor Relations, 2011; Lowensohn, 2011).

Apple implemented the marketing concept by focusing on customers’ needs through imagination, design, and innovation creating an emotional brand for its customers. Even though Apple is a technological company it takes a humanistic approach to satisfying the needs of its customers far better than the competition.

The reasoning behind it is that neither company tried to create some form of filter or a way to avoid the infringing by their users. Also their implementation of advertisements and wrongful advice to their users, knowing the intent of its use for infringement.

The topic of this paper is the future of Apple and their increasing technology, their competition and life without Steve Jobs. Apple continues to keep consumers interest peaked because of their innovativeness. The company is quite dedicated to keeping their name before consumers. The company is definitely not afraid of over exposure. Apple keeps consumers anticipating the next innovative technological product. Apple implores niche marketing which according to our text all the organization tore create more narrowly focused marketing plans. (Finch, 2012) This company is worth more that top running companies such as Amazon, Facebook, Google and Microsoft. (Carr, 2013)

.The advantage of being the first mover gives the opportunity to gain control. Which could bring great success and also the risk to fail. Both companies had the first mover advantage over other companies, Both were capable of expanding their busniness and achiving customer satisfaction. Not with the same level of achievement but both are still standing firm.

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.

The brand identity can used to drive and guide strategic initiatives throughout the firm, to differentiate the firm’s products and create a competitive advantage, to drive the committed to customer, to support the firm’s values and culture, and to support an easier protection of the brand (Danciu, 2010). Apple’s good brand identity strategy has provided supports to its unique position and its products in the global market. Apple has ranks as the top ‘Luxury Brand’ in China and many people are desired to own the products of Apple due to its luxury identity (Kedmey, 2015). Even though Apple has charge high prices for its products to customers, but customers are willing to buy as it provide innovative and better quality of products in terms of privacy, systems, application, and functions which easy to win the customer’s respect and loyalty. The distribution and retail strategy of Apple made it successful (Denning, 2011). There are four main distribution channels for Apple of its products, which are an online store, its retail store, direct sales, and third party wholesalers, which are easy to distribute its products to consumer. The store of Apple is intensive to control the ways that employees interact with customers, scripted training for on-site tech support, and consideration of every store detail down to the pre-loaded photos and music on demo devices. It also creates a carefree and

Apple Inc. developed their brand value by building its products with a highest quality material, attractive design and unique features. Additionally, Apple Inc. is dedicated to providing the highest quality services with its consumers. Apple Inc. has built its product with the highest quality that created a successful reputation among its consumers. Apple Inc. products such as their laptops and computers are built from aluminum-base and unique designs that were built to last. (Reisinger, 2012) Secondly, the company’s packaging and labeling was also made of high quality products, which is also part of Apple Inc.’s branding strategy. In addition to good reputation due to the company’s high quality product, the company has kept its promised and guaranteed its consumer’s to provide highest quality services that

In its long term goals, Apple looks towards attaining the leading position in the market as the most trusted brand by consumers. It looks towards not just profit maximization for its stakeholders but equally ensure that customer satisfaction is at the zenith with new product innovation and applying product differentiation strategy to ensure long term sustainable development of its business. The long term strategies have been further designed to ensure that its mission and vision are achieved at ease with no compromise to its quality and services. It is important for Apple to look towards the following short term strategies which keep in mind the current performance and current marketing opportunities and strengths. These short term strategies shall enable the company to maintain strict control over its current business operations and further fulfilment of its long term desired goals and objectives.

The success factors of Apple are obtained through meeting the appeal of the corresponding aspects of consumer behaviour that are Perception, Learning and Memory, Motivation an Values, The Self, Personality and Lifestyles, Attitudes, Attitude Change and Interactive Communications, Individual Decision Marketing, Buying and Disposing, Group Influence and Opinion Leadership, Income Social Class and Family Structure, Subcultures, Cultural Influences on Consumer Behaviour, and Creation and Diffusion of Culture. During the course of the 41 years of existence for the company, as the history background detailed above states most of these aspects were surely addressed in one way or another in order to maintain the on-going and everlasting success of the brand along with being able to recognize the failures and later turn them into successes as well. Apple has established its brand to meet the consumers’ perception by setting a standard that involves selection, organization, an interpretation of it sensations. This is made possible through the eye grabbing aesthetics’ characteristics of most its products and the logo that were designed to be visually appealing to create and immediate response of sensory receptors such as basic stimuli like light and colour. Through the aspect of Learning and Memory the use of repetition from associative learning to the brand name Apple is easier to be familiarized with. As it constantly being repeated, the term increases learning and generates more