Case Study Example Apple

In May 2010, Apple's market cap closed the day at $222.12 billion putting it ahead of rival Microsoft Corp. Shares of Apple reached an all-time high of $330.26 during 2011's first regular trading session.

“Apple was two months from bankruptcy” in September 1997 which led to CEO Steve Jobs to reconstruct their plan. In order to bring Apple back up into the competitive market, Jobs implement a new strategy which “shrunk Apple to a scale and scope suitable to the reality of its being a niche produce in the highly competitive personal computer business. He cut Apple back to a core that could survive” (12). What made Job successful was focusing on the sources and barriers to be successful in the market and to utilize the opportunities that came by. The strategy of eliminating unnecessary cost or reducing risk help transform Apple’s business

Its best-known hardware products are the Mac line of computers, the iPod media player, the iPhone smartphone, and the iPad tablet computer. In May 2013, Apple entered the top ten of the Fortune 500 list of companies for the first time. On September 30, 2013, Apple surpassed Coca-Cola to become the world's most valuable brand in the Omnicom Group's "Best Global Brands" report. Apple Inc. is the largest publicly traded corporation in the world and the largest technological company in the world by means of market capitalization, with an estimated market capitalization of $446 billion by January 2014. As a result, Fortune magazine named Apple the most admired company in the world from 2008 to 2012 because it has legions of adoring fans.

We chose to research Apple Incorporated, one of the most innovative companies of our generation. It is safe to say that nearly every one in the US and many foreign countries have used or at least heard of Apple products. We will be looking at the macroeconomic variables that impact Apple’s business as well as how the current developments in the industry have impacted Apple’s financials and we will also look at how Apple competes with other firms in the same industry.

Apple is an American based company specializing in the manufacture of electronic products mainly computers and related accessories since 1976 (year of establishment) in California. The company has a new technology for their products that unfortunately, under the able management of the CEO, Tim Cook, experience compatibility issues for software and hardware applications with other existing computer. This has erupted into global debates in the industry with key players blaming the company for locking in Apple customers. The company generally has a global reach with revenues amounting to more than $156,508 billion by the end of the 2012 financial year (Apple Inc., 2014).Apple had 60,400 full-time employees worldwide according to a form filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (Camm-Jones, 2011). In 2012, the employees had increased to about 72,800 with profits

    In past years Apple’s opening sales have not been the best representation of future sales of the product. Specifically, “unit sales jumped 30% in last year’s

introduction of the Apple II, to the Mac, to its more recent iTunes and iPhone, Apple has managed to maintain a competitive advantage and in recent years been able

The shifted new strategy of Apple was initiated by the release of iPod in 2001, followed by the iPhone in 2007, then by iPad in 2012. It was the iPod that brought significant growth in Apple. Initially, the iPod was just another MP3 but soon became the icon of the digital age due to its sleek design and user friendly interface. Moreover, iPod could sync with Windows as well as a Mac and offered accessory markets. Soon enough all the competitor in MP3 market had to face the challenge of consumers comparing their model with iPod. However, the greatest challenge that the competitors had to face was the introduction of iTunes store.

Apple Inc. has been stagnant over the past two years despite successful profits, a fast-growing dividend, and over $130 billion worth of share repurchases (Wall Street Journal, 2016). The staple product, the Apple iPhone, accounts for over two thirds of Apple 's revenue and profits and

Apple Inc. focuses on the design, manufacture, and marketing of personal computers, mobile phones, multimedia devices, and portable music players. Apple Inc. offers consumers manufactured goods under the brand names Apple Watch, iPhone, iPad, Mac, iPod, and Apple TV. Enhancing the customer experience through their proprietary software applications iOS, X, OS, and watchOS brands; and services across their Apple Pay and iCloud products (Forbes.com, 2016). Explored in detail, Apple’s history, current competitive advantage, market share, and how organizations strengthen and sustain their competitive advantage. The evaluation of possible threats or weaknesses and recommendations for diversification into related businesses, through the examination of a case study, by John E. Gamble and Lou Marino (2012).

Apple Inc. is an American multinational technology business headquartered in Cupertino, California, established by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne on April 1, 1976, to sketch, fabricate, and sell consumer electronics, computer software, and online services. Apple is the world 's second-largest information technology company after Samsung electronics, the world 's largest technology company by total assets. On November 25, 2014, Apple became the first U.S. Company to be treasured at over 700 billion dollars, besides being the largest publicly traded corporation in the world by market capitalization. Apple is a very successful producer of computer software and hardware, however it has demonstrated internal and external areas that need enhancement along with other areas that prove to be profitable.

According to USA Today, more than 55 million homes with at least one iPhone, iPad, iPod or Mac computer. 1-in-10 homes that aren 't currently in that group plan to join it in the next year. With the popularity of Apple rising, many of us have read, watched, and listened to many accounts of Steve Jobs and Steve Wozinak and there numerous achievements. The Apple duo is considered one of the most brilliant teams of inventors ever because of their leadership qualities and motivation. This team began the foundation that has allowed Apple to hold the top spot on the list of most lucrative tech companies for the eighth year in a row. In February, it became the first company to hit more than $700 billion in market value (Griffin,

Apple has become the "it" in technology all over again. The company that was on the brink of extinction just a few years ago has picked itself back up and is growing exponentially each year. Upper management and top officials have kept close to their beliefs for Apple and have been able to push the company further in not only profits, but also product lines. Forthcoming you will find Apples current products, their short but tumultuous history and financials, and what role they have played and will continue to play in the ever evolving information systems world.

Apple, Inc. has positioned itself as the world’s most profitable technology company in the world through its innovation and business practices. Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne founded Apple Inc. in 1976, to develop and sell personal computers. The vision was to change the way the world viewed computers by making them small enough for people to have in their homes or offices. It is widely reported that Jobs and Wozniak started by building the Apple I in Jobs’ garage. The Apple I was sold without a monitor, keyboard, or casing. The company was incorporated as Apple Computer, Inc. in 1977, later renamed as simply Apple Inc. in 2007. The Apple II, an 8-bit home computer introduced later in 1977, was one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products. The Apple II revolutionized the computer industry with the introduction of the first-ever color graphics. As a result, sales soared from $7.8 million in 1978 to $117 million in 1980. On December 12, 1980, Apple launched its initial public offering of its stock, selling 4.6 million shares at $22 per share with the stock symbol “AAPL” on the NASDAQ market. An article in the EDN recalls that the shares sold out almost immediately and the IPO generated more capital than any IPO since Ford Motor Company in 1956. By the end of the day, the stock had increased in value by almost 32 percent to close at $29, leaving the company with a market value of $1.778 billion. Due to conflicts with board

In its infancy, Apple Computer Inc. began with the Macintosh personal computer. The company was founded on April 1, 1976. The founders were Steve Wozniak and Steven Jobs. They incorporated the company in 1977, on January 3rd, in Cupertino, California. In the twenty years that followed, the company produced personal computers. Besides the Macintosh, Apple Inc. made Apple II, and the Power Mac lines. Although they lasted for decades, during the 90’s the company experienced some turbulent times with low sales and market share. Steve Jobs left Apple Inc. and came back in 1996 when his company, NeXT was purchased by Apple. In 1997, Jobs became the interim CEO. In later years it became a permanent position for him.