Entrepreneur Assignment

The closest comparison to this small computer at the time was the Altair 8800 and the Intel microprocessors used in calculators and watches. An improved version of the Apple 1 developed into the Apple 11, the first personal computer with graphics and a keyboard, and IBM soon followed Apple’s lead with their version of a small computer. The market for personal computers had been primarily in the business industry. Apple Computer sales netted $50 million by the last quarter of 1979 (Gitman & McDaniel, 2009) and Apple soon became the personal computer of choice for many small businesses and families, especially when Apple introduced the more user- friendly Macintosh computer in the 1980’s. The Macintosh was Apple’s first major step in adapting the personal computer to the desires of corporate America. In ten years, Apple had grown from two employees in a garage to a $2 billion company with over 4000 employees (Jobs, 1985). What began as a hobby for Jobs and Wozniak soon became an essential part of many households and established the foundation for the Apple empire.

Most successful entrepreneurs exhibit certain characteristics. Some entrepreneurs are open-minded, able to learn quickly, and skilled at conceptualizing.

Apple computer, as it was known back then, was founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne. Jobs was still living with his parents at the time when the three decided to start working on computers in their garage together. After some time Wozniak had invented the Apple I, something he had invented after dabbling in computer-design. Jobs liked his invention and thought that it would be a good idea to try and sell it. They sold the Apple I at an early computer store called Byte Shop for $666.66, over 200 units sold. Apple computer 's real big hit came one year later with the reveal of the Apple 2, a much better version than its predecessor, it came in a plastic case and also had color graphics. The Apple II also later had an easy to use floppy disk (Apple Disk II) making it very popular.

Apple has brought the standard of technology to an all-time high, changing the way the world interacts with each other through their industry leading products. Apple’s main focus was to create a user-friendly product, which was demonstrated with the creation of Apple 1. This was Apple’s first computer circuit board and would go on to become the Macintosh computer. Co-founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak created Apple’s first circuit board in early March 1976, and then unveiled it in April while attending the monthly homebrew computer club meeting. This unveiling would be Apple’s gateway to the future. Months later Wozniak wanted to focus on creating an` all in one computer to use in home or at work. This idea eventually led to the Macintosh computer which is still one of Apple’s number one products. The success of the Macintosh gave Apple its fame and has since created its own line of mobile phones as well as its own music buying platform ITunes.

As the first of the World’s Most Innovative Companies (Business week, 2010) and the 17th of the Best Global Brands (Interbrand, 2010), Apple has succeeded in strategic leadership and innovation, which has drawn attention from the world recently. This essay focuses on some key issues of Apple’s innovation. It begins with analyzing the key features of Apple Inc by Porter’s five forces and Kay’s distinctive capabilities. Then, the evaluations of the CEO Steve Jobs as the strategic leader and explanations of Apple’s

Steve Jobs led a revolution not only in technology, but in the history of the world, and the determination of the future as well. When Jobs was in his garage with Steve Wozniak about to create the first Apple computer, they had no idea that they would later own one of the biggest and wealthiest companies in the world, and also revolutionize technology and set a precedent for future technology innovators such as themselves. The Apple I, which was Apple 's first product, was sold as an assembled circuit board and lacked the basic features that all Apple products have today such as a keyboard, monitor, and case. The Apple I was first introduced to the public at The Homebrew Computer Club. Half of all U.S. households own at least one Apple product, according to CNBC’s All-America Economic survey. Jobs later became known as a “master of innovation” because of his strong innovations in technology. Without him, the world would be much farther behind than it currently is. When the Apple I entered the public market in July of 1976, a new chapter of the world began. The legacy that Jobs left will remain growing and never end.

April 1, 1976, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak created The Apple Computer. They incorporated the company on January 3, 1977 in Cupertino, California. Apple, Inc. is responsible for bringing to market such products as the Macintosh desktop and portable computer, iPod and iTunes, and most recently, the iPhone. What many people may not know is that after founding Apple, Jobs was fired by the company 's board of directors 10 years later at age 30. After his termination, he went on to create two more companies. During this period Apple went through three different CEOs and their stock price dropped to $2 a share. As a result, Jobs was invited back to join the company as CEO. Not only did Jobs rejuvenate Apple but it flourished (Finkle & Mallin, 2010). Apple has over 66,000 employees in the United States, from engineers to retail employees, app developers, suppliers and manufacturers.

Apple I started out in Jobs’ garage, him and Wozniak sold them without a monitor, keyboard, or casing. The introduction of Apple II revolutionized the computer industry by creating the first ever color graphics. Jumping there sales from $7.8 Million revenue in 1978 to $117 million in 1980, which was the same year the company, went public. Jobs hired PepsiCo’s John Sculley to become President of Apple after Wozniak left the company. In 1985, Steve Jobs felt ousted, he left and moved on to have a huge success in computer animation. Bringing his new software and technology to George Lucas, where they teamed up and Jobs became the largest shareholder in Pixar, which created Blockbuster hits like A Bugs Life, Finding Nemo and Toy Story. It was until 1997 when Steve Jobs came back as an interim only to become the CEO of Apple in the year 2000. Helping regain Apple market share, from Microsoft and their Office software.

Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak launched Apple on April 1, 1976 with the completion of their first personal computer, the Apple I. The system was first introduced at the Homebrew Computer Club in San Jose, CA. The two founders found initial success with hobbyist markets and education, and chose to develop the Apple II for introduction in 1977 at the West Coast Computer Faire. By this point the founders were beginning to attract attention from venture capitalists, many of which are located throughout the Menlo Park, California area adjacent to Cupertino, the city Apple was founded in. Mike Markkula, a venture capitalist at the time, invested $250,000 and the company (Apple, Investor Relations, 2012). From that initial investment, Apple was able to quickly expand its sales, marketing, supply chain strategies and production. Within six years Apple would revolutionize personal computing with the introduction of the Apple Macintosh in 1984 (Apple, Investor Relations, 2012). During this same time period Apple introduced a series of higher-end closed architecture systems including the Lisa and a series of workstation-based products for graphical analysis (Apple, Investor Relations, 2012)., Concurrent with this development were global marketing efforts aimed at expanding global Macintosh sales which were stagnating at just 13% of overall PC sales (Cuneo, 2003). Apple was beginning to lose the battle for the desktop to IBM and their profitability was

Stephen Woziniak and Steve Jobs founded Apple Computer in 1976, which was called the Apple I, then in year 1978 just two years after, Apple II was introduced. More than 10,000 units were sold which relatively was a success, Macintosh (Mac), which dramatically change personal computer. iMac, iBook, iPod, iPad, iPhone, and other come from the lineage of Apple.

During Jobs two tenures at Apple he has served to motivate his followers inside and outside the company including customers, stakeholders, shareholders and the media with a strong vision for putting the prerequisites of the end-user first, to be different, an innovator and trend- setter. Steve Jobs has led in a bold way that served to motivate his followers through the force of his personality. During the creation of the Macintosh, he wanted to define a different computer. He mounted a pirate flag on the roof of the building and told his staff, “It is better to be a pirate, than

Business focus, this is profit orientated. This is the long and short term goals for the company in order to grow and succeed.

Many people all over the world own products manufactured by Apple, a multinational organization that is credited with revolutionizing the technology industry. The company was formed by Steve Wozniak, Ronald Wayne and Steve Jobs in 1976. During that time, computers were only available to scholars and researchers. However, the company made computers available for the use of ordinary people in the 1980s. Additionally, Apple has launched innovative products whose features have simplified business, education, and technology. The company is ranked among the most profitable companies in the world, achieving a whopping revenue of $170 billion in 2014 (Lusted 2010). This paper describes Apple’s strategies that contribute towards its success in the highly competitive technology industry.

Explain and critically analyze unique traits of an Entrepreneur, discuss these related to personal strengths and weaknesses

There has been extensive research conducted on the characteristics that successful entrepreneurs possess. These attributes vary widely across literature, however there are common key traits that are required to achieve any form of success. Frederick et al (2013) suggest entrepreneurs are risk takers, optimistic, have sound judgement and an ability to manage. While a review of literature relating to the psychology of an entrepreneur reveals a large variety of characteristics in a successful entrepreneur, these can be consolidated to a a few into only a few traits that are essential for a successful entrepreneur. Whilst taking into