Macro and Micro Environment

Macro environment are the external and uncontrollable factors that influence an organization’s decision making and affects its performance and strategies.

Concerning corporate customer service by Dell and Compaq should be mentioned deep understanding of customer needs at Dell Corporation and 24/7 support against based on forecast production system with 64 days of delivery period. (see Appendix 4, 4.1 for detailed explanation)

The targeted consumer has been identified as a recent retiree who is in her early 60s. This customer has just broken her laptop which was given to her as a gift from her daughter, four years ago and is looking for a replacement. As she is not in tune with the latest technology developments

Technology change has naturally been a major factor in Apple's success. The company played a major role in the shift to a mobile computing society, by developing the personal technology devices that would

With time, the PC continued to evolve and newer models offered better speed, color screens, more memory and larger hard drives. Further technical evolution continued to deliver higher speeds, larger storage capacity both internal and external. In addition to the hardware progression, the PC world continued to see progress with operating system solutions and advanced software catering to both large and small businesses as well as the home owner.

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. has been dedicated to innovation ever since the company was first formed. Apple's recent breakthroughs were a result of a new technologies convergence upon the "digital hub" strategy (Mortensen, 2010). This strategy has served Apple well; especially during the last few years. The iPad, iPod, and iPhone were all born from this strategy. Furthermore, producing these innovative, user friendly, and design oriented products has earned them a considerable amount of customer loyalty.

Very large customers accounted for 70% of business and no single customer accounted for more than 2 %

The people that fall on the Mercedes on the other hand wanted something much better than the workhorse and the traveler since they have the money to spend and they wanted better quality. They wanted something fast and powerful, can efficiently do complex tasks, can link with other computers, after-sale service and support, easy on eyes, larger display area, has a distinct look, able to store a lot of data and easy to use. This was the top 8 thing they demanded out of the product. The price that the customer in the Mercedes category were willing to pay was 4,000.

When shopping for a computer, one can look at the cost and compare it to other models. For instance, individuals usually have less to spend than organizations. The HP Envy model is adequate for companies looking for greater processing power (Intel Turbo Boost) (“HP Pavilion HPE,” 2011). The Dell Studio model is a little expensive; however, this model is adequate for small business and organizations. Similarly, the HP Companies looking for attractiveness will find the MacBook’s unique design quite appealing. Overall, these three models range in price from $649.99 to $1300.00, they are high end products known for quality and

China is on its way to attaining mega market status as a consumer of technological goods and services. Countries unwilling or unable to compete for a share of this market place put themselves at a substantial competitive and economic disadvantage. The admission of China into the WTO will greatly benefit many companies across the board in the United States. The potential for computer makers, software makers, internet providers and internet service providers are immense and American companies could gain tremendously from their potential. These benefits will not be limited to the big name companies of the United States either. Smaller start-up companies will be on the same grounds now and receive the same benefits as larger firms. The small companies will now be able to sell their products in China where as they could not do so before because of the numerous obstacles that only the larger firms were equipped to maneuver around in China. Thus all businesses working from within the United States will have the fair opportunity to extend their reach into China.

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 has done an excellent job of developing a very distinct strategy through industry leading innovation. This strategy has allowed them to be the frontrunners in new product introductions and the improvement of existing products. Apple has employed a differentiation strategy in an attempt to meet the needs of a global market by offering customers innovative new products and improved existing products. An important part of their strategy involves meeting the needs of the evolving digital electronics and computer markets. Apple has chosen to implement its strategy by designing and developing its

Nowadays, Apple has positioned itself to be an innovator in the personal computer industry and Apple has developed by offering modern products compared to its competitors. According to Apple’s mission statement last year, “Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.” (Business Management,

Apple has always been something of a trendsetter in the tech space. Its product history since Steve Jobs’s return in 1997 gives us a solid list of examples to choose from, from its very first iPod, to Apple’s PowerBook (and later MacBook) lines, to the iPhone and the iPad. Apple’s history is dominated by products that existed before Apple had a crack at them - but it was Apple who simplified them, made them appealing on a much wider scale, and ultimately made them objects of desire for the masses.