Apple Inc: History of Apple - Case Study Example

? Topic: Apple Inc Case Study Apple Inc Case Study Introduction Apple Inc. which has for a long period of time been referred to as Apple Computer, Inc. is a multinational corporation that is situated in America and owned by the Americans. The company specializes in the designing and marketing of personal computers, consumer electronics and computer software. The most common hardware products that are produced by Apple Inc. are inclusive of the iPhone, iPod and the iPad (Miller, 2009). The company has enjoyed relative success in the country and even in the overseas market for a lengthy period of time now mainly owing to the market share that it currently has. It is cited that iPhone gets the highest rate of press and the iPod sales in the market is of relatively large quantities. Even though it can be generally said that the company enjoys success courtesy of the products that it offers to the market, Apple Inc. pegs most of its success to Macintosh. According to the report from IDC the worldwide market for the company grew from 2.4% up to 2.9% from the year 2006 to the year 2007 (Miller, 2009). The consumer market on the other hand where Apple does compete effectively accounts for 10% of the worldwide market although the market command in the United States of America is relatively higher at 21%. In the year 2010, Apple continued to face stiff competition from its rivals for the very same market. In terms of the sales from the PCs, Apple ranked fifth in the year 2010. It is estimated that during that particular year, the first quarter was marked by shipment of 1.398 million Macs. The sales levels meant that Apple was only behind the main distributors of PCs which are: Dell, HP, Acer and Toshiba. It is therefore more than convincing that in the year 2010, Apple had its sales in PCs generally surge as negative sales trends were recorded as indicated above (Miller, 2009). In terms of the iPhone production, it is very true that Apple has been one of the most consistent companies in using the iPhone technology to develop very effective and modern mobile phones that are trendy in as far as technology is concerned. It is as a consequence of this that Apple still remains one of the most committed companies in producing the latest technology that can easily be used by virtually all the generations. The high levels of agility and commitment that Apple has towards producing the most competitive products in the market explains to a large extent why the company has continued to record steady rates of growth in the globe today. Strengths and weaknesses Apple Company is considered as one of the strongest companies in as far as information technology is concerned. The strengths of Apple Company have been very supportive in its market domination as will be seen in the later stages of the paper. Some of the strategic strengths are inclusive of product development that it has already established. Apple Company has already set high standards in the market in as far as the product it offers in the market is concerned. It is because of this strength that Apple has in the market, that it does not spend resources in inventing the market. The second strength about Apple Inc. is that it has established itself as a company that is oriented towards creating not only design but also utility (Miller, 2009). The products that are made by the company are very much easy to use and are also intuitive. The phones by the company are easy to use and also feel very nice in the hands given that they do not have many buttons. The marketing that is done by Apple Inc. is also a plus the company. It has clever marketing which strategically addresses the solutions to the problems that people do encounter with the use of other hardware form the main competitors of the company. Finally, the company enjoys a lot of strength in the fact that it trades on a very common and strong brand in the technology market. The brand name in apple has been very effective in promoting the commodities produced and marketed by the company in the entire globe. This is also partially contributed by the highly charismatic and visionary CEO of the company. Mr. Steve Jobs has been very much influential in ensuring that the Apple Inc. does enjoy the steady competitive levels that it has posed in the global market so far. This is largely due to the marketing structure and the support that he has been able to develop for the company by building an effective team around him (Miller, 2009). In regards to the weaknesses faced by the Apple Inc. in its operations; it is adequate to say that the company does not face weaknesses outside its own self. In that sense, the weaknesses faced by Apple Inc. are by its own making hence they can be easily eliminated consequently leaving the company stronger in its operations. The main weakness is the fact that Apple Inc is very proprietor and controlling. This has led to the company being very strict and conservative in as far as its technology and distribution methods are concerned. Apple Inc. does not allow outsiders to develop hardware that can work with its products hence keeping to itself all the production and even supply. It is due to this fact that Apple Inc. has not been successful in conquering the USA market in distributing computer hardware. As had been mentioned previously, Apple Inc. mainly bases its operations on the fact that its technology is meant to make life easiest while using electrical devices. Making the phone application very simple where one does virtually everything by the use of the figures touching the screen has made phone applications very easy (Miller, 2009). On the other hand, the technology that is offered by Apple is meant to drive people into the usage of modern communication methods using the cheapest means. Policies and tariffs decisions have been so far very effective in ensuring that the commodities produced by Apple Inc. spread across the entire globe. As a matter of fact, international markets have become so porous to any country and the only thing that lies in creating effective competition no longer lies in regional unions. The only difference between companies is the levels of creativity. This is an aspect that Apple Inc. is taking a lead especially in relation to iPhones that have become a global trend today. Evaluation The market share by Apple Inc is not very much appealing especially when viewed from the perspective of the computers that are produced and distributed by the company. The computers have been a huge flop in not only the United States of America’s market but in the entire globe. This can be mainly attributed to the core value of the company which insists on proprietorship and control. This has made the products by the company to be solely produced by the company. In the computer world where collaborative agreements exist between companies on the sharing of software and hardware to sell to the market as a combined product, Apple Inc. has been very much secretive about its production methods and maintained distribution to its self (Miller, 2009). As had been analyzed previously, the iPhone by Apple Inc. has been on the forefront in dictating the latest technology trend as far as mobile phones are concerned. This means that Apple Inc. is very much in the front line in ensuring that latest technology is offered to the consumers at very fair prices. Conclusion It is very important that iPhone maintains the same strength that it has shown in the market in as far as Phones are concerned. On the other hand, it is also equally important that the company does effectively strategize new ways of ensuring that the computer products it has are sold at least in the United States of America’s market. As has been proposed, this can be done by eliminating the proprietor and controlling attitude in Apple Inc. the company can then go into collaboration with other companies to make the hardware for its software hence reducing on losses and optimizing on profitable ventures. Reference Miller, F. (2009). Apple Inc.: Apple Inc.. History of Apple, Apple Inc. Litigation, Timeline of Macintosh Models, Timeline of Apple II Family, Apple-Intel Transition, Timeline of Apple Products, List of Products Discontinued by Apple Inc., IPod, IPhone, Apple TV. California: Alphascript Publishing, 2009 Read More