Apple Case Study

Apple Case Study

Background of the Study

Apple Computers is considered to be the creator of the personal computer and much more. One relegated to a niche, hobbyist computer manufacturer, Apple Computers has matured into a media powerhouse with its long tentacles in every aspect of the business. Apple Computers plays a major role in the consumption (iPod and Mac) and distribution (iTunes Store) of music, once thought to be the exclusive domain of giant record tables. Having expanded in to television and movies, Apple Computers shows no sign of slowing sign. The company's endeavors into media players have allowed it to take risks and successfully expand the business into set-top boxes and mobile phones, also previously thought to be outside the scope of a so-called traditional computer manufacturer. Apple Computers Inc. is anything but traditional, though. Apple Computers has expanded its expertise across multiple disciplines and into ones where virtually no one could have predicted it would go. Apple Computers as a company, made a huge mark on history. Growing from two employees to a staff of more than 20,000 across the globe, Apple Computers had worldwide sales of more than $24 billion and earned $3.5 billion in profit in fiscal 2007. Apple Computers has no debt and more than $15 billion in cash.

But what makes Apple Computers feat even more impressive is that it should, by all accounts, have gone bankrupt sometime in 1995 or 1996. It was hemorrhaging money and market share and lacked leadership. Apple Computers took a turn for the worse in the early 1990s when quality slipped and it flooded the market with a confusing array of Macintosh models. The problem was exacerbated by licensing the Apple Computers ROMs to third party clones that were supposed to build market share but instead stole sales from Apple Computers. Apple Computers has one of the most fiercely loyal, dedicated and faithful customer bases in the world. Apple Computers fans border on rabid and are well known for their fanatical dedication to the platform. The Mac is more than a computer and Apple Computers is more than a company to them. Apple Computers is more of a philosophy than a computer brand. Apple Computers has inspired a community of like-minded individuals, who share their passion for the things that they do with their computers, art, science, and entertainment as well as their passion for computers themselves.

About Apple

Apple continues to grow faster than industry in all categories. New manufactory plants and sales offices are continually introduced to regions in order to save time and cost. The exact relationship model provides the powerful differentiator for the company to deliver satisfaction to customers of all sizes and types. Apple has focused most of the resources to support large commercial and formal organizations segment to sustain its growth by delivering superior services over competitors. In fact, Apple sells more computer systems to business organizations than any other company in the world. To adapt market change, Apple extents product categories to consumer ...