Summary of Apple Inc. Case Study - Essay Example

Summary of Apple Inc. Case StudySummary The case study is about Apple, Inc which was previously referred to as Apple Computers. The company was founded by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. Apple Inc. deals in wide ranges of consumer electronics and computer based products. It has been observed that since its inception the sales of its Mac products had been quite high and they have the company’s key products but in the recent times it was not capable of generating enough of revenues. The financial performance of Apple is driven by most of the Non-PC product lines.

It has been noted that the company made numerous efforts since last two decades in order to maintain competitive position in the marketplace. During the period of John Sculley (1985-1993), the then CEO of Apple Inc, numerous strategies were adopted in order to make Apple pioneers in the desktop publishing segment. Under the leadership of Steve Jobs, the company had been capable of achieving sustained growth. During his reign, Apple underwent restructuring efforts and also outsourced manufacturing of the Mac products to the contract assemblers of Taiwan.

The company’s distribution systems were also revamped. Through company’s website, Apple was capable of selling the products directly to the consumers. The company’s image was invigorated as well by promoting itself as a hip substitute to other computer brand. During the year 2008, one of the key drivers of revenue was Macintosh computers. Apple had put high emphasis upon the technology and innovation which had assisted the company in beating the cut throat competition. The first retail store of the company was in McLean, Virginia which started its operation in the year 2001.

Until the year 2008, the company was found to be operating through 215 stores. The case study also details the growth of the PC industry since its inception from the mid-1970s. The close competitors of Apple Inc had been IBM, Compaq and Dell among others those had been focusing upon research and development in order to compete successfully with Apple, Inc. The PC industry has sought tremendous change in the recent years. It is now available in numerous forms ranging from laptops, workstations, sub-notebooks and servers.

However, after the components became standardized the manufacturers of PC started cutting their spending on research and development. Instead of spending on R&D, the companies started focusing upon innovation in manufacturing, marketing and distribution in order to achieve competitive advantage. The supplement products or the substitute products of PCs were made available such as Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), smart phones and TV set-top boxes among others. The other non-Macintosh businesses also led the company to become a complete digital convergence company.

It launched numerous devices such as Apple iPod, iPhone Gamble and applications such as iTunes which helped the company to generate additional revenues. During the first decade of 21st century, Apple had undergone numerous changes in its plans and policies in order to win over the rivals. However, the significant question arising in context of case study of Apple Inc is whether the company would be capable to maintain its position in the market or not. In order to maintain its strategic position in the market place the company needs to focus upon leadership, innovation, culture and quality (Yoffie, D. B. & Slind, M.

, “Apple, Inc, 2008”). Work CitedYoffie, David B. & Slind, Michael. Apple Inc, 2008 Harvard Business School, 2008.