Apple - The Development Of iEcosystem

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The Apple logo is very identifiable whether you're walking down a crowded street in a major city or travelling through the highways. Whenever you spot a MacBook, an iPad, or an iPhone, you immediately recognize the logo and know who built it. Apple has accomplished more than just technological domination. The corporation has achieved something that many people strive for: international name recognition and a reputation that will outlast everyone alive today.

The company's tagline from 1997 to 2002, "Think Different," may have contributed to Apple's success. While not always hailed as a triumph, it is the result of foresight in the current competitive market. While many of us possess Apple devices, few are familiar with their history. When did Apple get its start, and how popular was it at its inception? When did Apple become well-known? And why did Apple come so close to going bankrupt? However, such achievement does not happen instantly and is difficult to duplicate. So, what is this mysterious Apple sauce? Let's have a look.

Apple - Company Highlights

About Apple, and How it Works?
Apple - Industry
Apple - Name, Logo, and Tagline
Apple - Founders
Apple - Startup Story
Apple - Apple without Jobs
Apple - The Fall
Apple - When Did It Become A Big Name?
Apple - Vision, and Mission
Apple - Business Model
Apple - Investments
Apple - Acquisitions
Apple - Competitors
Apple - Future Plans

About Apple, and How it Works?

Apple Inc. is a global technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, that specialises in portable electronics, software applications, and internet services. Apple is the fourth-largest personal computer vendor by unit sales, the world's second-most valuable company, the largest information technology company by revenue (totalling US$365.8 billion in 2021) and the second-largest mobile phone manufacturer. Along with Amazon, Alphabet, Microsoft, and Meta, it is one of the five American behemoths in information technology businesses.

Apple Inc. produces, builds, and sells computers and associated computing and communication devices, as well as services, software, networking solutions, and peripherals. Apple distributes its goods through its online shops, retail locations, direct sales representatives, resellers, and third-party wholesalers all around the globe.

The iPhone is Apple's series of cell phones that run on Apple's operating system called iOS. The Mac range of computers is centered also on the business's macOS operating system.

The iPad is a range of multi-purpose tablets from Apple that run on the iPad OS operating system. Apple TV, Air Pods, Apple Watch, Home Pod, Beats products, iPod touch, and other Apple-branded and third-party accessories are included under Home, Wearables, and Accessories.

The Company's wireless headphones that interface with Siri are known as Air Pods. The Apple Watch is the firm's smartwatch series. AppleCare, Advertising, Cloud Services, Digital Content, and Payment Services are among its offerings.

Apple - Industry

The worldwide economy has been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many end-user sectors, including electronics manufacturing, have been impacted. According to data from an IPC study conducted in March 2020, 40% of global electronics manufacturers and suppliers polled anticipate that the COVID-19 outbreak will have the greatest impact on consumer electronics. Another 24% of respondents said that industrial electronics would be the worst hit, with 19% predicting that the automotive electronics category would be the most brutal damage.

Electronic computers, such as mainframes, laptops, pcs, workstations, and software services, as well as computer peripheral devices, are manufactured by companies in this business. Apple, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Dell, IBM, Lenovo (Hong Kong), ASUS (Taiwan), and Canon (Japan) are the companies that belong to this sector or industry.

Annual global unit sales for 2021 hit 340 million units, up 15% from the previous year. With large exports, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, as well as the Asia Pacific, excluding Japan, led to the rise of this industry. During the projected period, which is 2021-2026, the Electronics Manufacturing Services Market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 9%.

Apple - Name, Logo, and Tagline

Jobs revealed in his biography written down by Walter Isaacson that he was now on one of his fruitarian diets. He was driving back from an apple farm when he came up with the name for the firm that would transform his life. Steve Wozniak's book, "iWoz: Computer Geek to Cult Icon," confirms this. Wozniak, who drove Jobs home from the airport following that trip, claimed that the firm name came to him during the journey. According to Jobs, the "apple orchard" he mentioned was a commune.

According to Jobs' biography, he believed the name "Apple Computer" sounded "energetic, fun, and not intimidating" - all crucial elements for a firm that intended to transform computing and make it far more approachable. And, that's where the logo came from.

Apple's tagline says, "Think Different."

Apple - Founders

Steve Jobs, Ronald Wayne, and Steve Wozniak founded Apple Computers Company as a business deal on April 1, 1976.

Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs was the co-founder and former CEO of Apple and Pixar Animation Studios. Jobs attended Reed College in Portland, Oregon after graduating from Homestead High School in Cupertino, California in 1972. He dropped out after one semester and went on to study philosophy and other cultures.

Steve Jobs had a keen passion for technology, therefore he went to work for Atari Inc, a major video game producer at the time. He became acquainted with Steve Wozniak, a fellow designer, and attended Homebrew Computer Club meetings with him. On August 24, 2011, Jobs resigned as Apple's CEO and became Chairman of the Board of Directors. Jobs passed away on October 5, 2011.

Ronald Wayne

Ronald G. Wayne is mainly remembered as one of the co-founders of the Apple tech firm, with Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, the company's primary drivers. It was a brief journey compared to the years he spent inventing and manufacturing slot machines and other professional gaming devices. He's a skilled innovator with over a dozen US patents under his belt, covering a wide spectrum of essential concepts.

Steve Wozniak

For the past three decades, Steve Wozniak has been a Silicon Valley star and philanthropist. His design of Apple's original line of devices, the Apple I and II, impacted the popular Macintosh.

With Wozniak's Apple I personal computer, Wozniak and Steve Jobs launched Apple Computer Inc. in 1976. He unveiled his Apple II personal computer the next year, which had a central processing unit, a keyboard, colour graphics, and a floppy disc drive.

Wozniak was active in several corporate and humanitarian endeavours after leaving Apple in 1985, concentrating mostly on computer capabilities in schools and emphasising hands-on learning and promoting student creativity.

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Apple - Startup Story

Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne created Apple in 1976 to sell Wozniak's hand-built PC, the Apple 1. The Apple 1 was supplied as a motherboard that had a Central processing unit, RAM, and some rudimentary textual-video chips. It had no built-in keyboard, monitor, casing, or other Human Interface Devices at the time.

The Apple 1 was released in July 1976 and sold for $666.66. Only a few weeks after the firm was created, Wayne chose to quit. He accepted an $800 check, which was worth about $72 billion forty years later. Wayne was the one who hand-drew the initial Apple logo, which was later replaced with Rob Janoff's bitten apple symbol in 1977.

On January 3rd, 1977, Apple Computer Inc. was founded. Mike Markkula, who was interested in the Apple-1, gave the team the necessary funds and commercial acumen. Mike Markkula, the third employee, owned a third of the firm. He nominated Michael Scott as the company's first president and CEO because he believed Steve was too young and not responsible enough to handle the role.

The Apple II, designed by Wozniak, was released in 1977. The Apple II computers were able to stay on top of market leaders Tandy and Commodore PET thanks to VisiCalc (the world's first 'killer-app'), a revolutionary spreadsheet and computing software. Because of its office compatibility, VisiCalc provided customers with another reason to acquire the Apple II. The Apple II was able to change the computer industry by introducing colour graphics. Apple had a genuine office with many workers by 1978, as well as an Apple II production sector.

Revenues for Apple doubled every four months in the following years. Between September 1977 and September 1980, their annual revenues increased from $775,000 to $118 million (an average annual growth rate of 533 per cent).

On December 12, 1980, Apple came out publicly for $22 per share. Apple's $4.6 million shares sold out very instantly, raising more money than just about any other IPO since Ford Motor Company in 1956. Steve Jobs, the largest shareholder, gained $217 million from the IPO. The company's IPO also made 300 additional people millionaires overnight.

Apple - Apple without Jobs

As tensions between Jobs and John Sculley, the company's third CEO, developed, Jobs sought to depose Sculley through a revolt, which collapsed. Apple's board of directors sided with Sculley and relieved Jobs of his work responsibilities. Jobs subsequently left his position and started NeXT, a firm that makes powerful workstations. Around the same time, Steve Wozniak sold most of his stock, and left the company, claiming that the firm was heading in the wrong way.

With Jobs gone, the board members were willing to decide what type of computers Apple might create. They chose to sell more costly Macs to high-end clients. Because Steve Jobs was resistant to raising prices, this strategy could not be implemented until after he had departed. They concluded that even if lesser units are sold, profitability will be comparable or greater. This approach was known as "55 or die," and Jean-Louis Gassée required that the Macintosh II had to make at least 55% profit per unit. Sculley hired Gassée to take the role of Steve Jobs.

Although Apple computers were more costly than other computers on the market, they offered advantages such as the UI that attracted customers. In 1991, Apple released the PowerBook laptop with the System 7 operating system. System 7 was responsible for providing the Macintosh OS colour, and it was utilised until 2001 when OS X was introduced.

Apple attempted to expand into new areas throughout the 1990s. Gassée was also involved in the creation of innovative products like the eMate and the Newton MessagePad, with the hope that they would propel the business to an unprecedented level.

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Apple - The Fall

When IBM clones became inexpensive and Microsoft's influence grew in the latter part of the decade, Apple's "55 or die" strategy failed. Even while Macs had an extensive software library, they were constrained. On the other hand, Windows 3.0 was on sale for low-cost commodity machines.

Apple intended to re-enter the industry, so they released a new range of devices called the Quadra, Centris, and Performa. Because Apple computers were only accessible by mail or authorised dealers at the time, the Performa was designed to be a stocking item for lifestyle merchants and department stores. Back then, there has been no Apple Stores. Customers, on the other hand, were confused by this since they didn't comprehend the differences among the variants.

Apple has tried portable CD audio players, digital cameras, speakers, TV appliances, and other items, but they all failed. Apple's stock price and market share dropped sharply. To compound the error, Sculley spent a significant amount of time and money porting System 7 to the new IBM/ Motorola PowerPC CPU rather than the Intel processor. Apple had no luck regaining market share since most software was designed on Intel CPUs, which were cheaper.

The Apple board had enough with the very disappointing line of devices and the pricey choice to switch to PowerPC. Sculley was then replaced as CEO by Michael Spindler, a German expatriate who had worked with Apple since the 1980s. Gil Amelio succeeded Spindler as CEO in 1996.

Amelio implemented significant reforms, including mass layoffs and cost reductions. His term was also marred by the shares of Apple hitting a 12-year low. In February 1997, Amelio chose to buy Jobs' NeXT Computer for $429 million, bringing Steve Jobs back to Apple.

Apple - When Did It Become A Big Name?

The iPod, another Apple invention, was introduced in 2001. It was advertised as having thousands of music tracks worth of memory on its 5GB hard drive, which was an astonishing accomplishment for an MP3 player at that very time.

In 2003, Apple launched the iTunes Music Store to augment this. This followed the introduction two years before of iTunes, Apple's digital music software solutions. In 2003, Apple introduced a variant for Windows, and over the next several years, it began moving out to the rest of the globe. The iTunes Music Store was a convenient method for US residents to legally purchase music online; in 2006, it changed its name to the iTunes Store to include video services too. In 2005, Apple computers had Intel chips, allowing them to run Windows. All Apple PC hardware, including iMacs and MacBook Pros, will be Intel-based in the future.

In 2007, Apple Computer Inc. changed its name to Apple Inc. to reflect its expanded product line. 270,000 iPhones were ordered during the first 30 hours after its release, earning it the moniker "Apple's destiny changer."

The debut of the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad devices were met with overwhelming success. Apple introduced the App Store in July 2008 to offer third-party iPhone and iPod-Touch software. The App Store sold 60 million apps in a month and generated an average daily income of $1 million. Because of the iPhone's success, Apple became the world's third-largest mobile device provider.

In October 2010, Apple stock achieved an all-time high of $300. On August 24, 2011, Steve Jobs stepped down from his role as CEO owing to health concerns and was succeeded by Tim Cook. Jobs died on October 5, 2011, bringing an end to a great period for Apple and a major shift in the company's history.

Apple, on the other hand, continues to dominate the market with ground-breaking technical marvels.

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Apple - Vision, and Mission

Apple's mission is “to bring the best user experience to its customers through its innovative hardware, software, and services.”

Apple - Business Model

Apple's business model is divided into two parts: products and services. In 2021, Apple earned more than $365 billion in revenue, with $191.9 billion coming from iPhone sales, and $38.3 billion from accessories and wearables (AirPods, Apple TV, Apple Watch, Beats products, Home Pod, iPod touch, and accessories),  $35.2 billion from Mac sales, $31.86 billion from iPad sales, and $68.4 billion from services.

• Products - iPhone, Mac, iPad, as well as wearables, home, and accessory devices, are among the product lines (Air Pods, Apple-Watch and more)
• Services -  AppleCare+, Digital Content Stores and Streaming Services, and the AppleCare Protection Plan, Apple's Cloud Services, Licensing, and other services like Apple ArcadeTM, Apple News+, Apple CardTM, and Apple Pay, a cashless payment service, are all part of the services business.

Apple - Investments

Apple - Acquisitions

Apple - Competitors

Microsoft, Samsung, Lenovo, Dell, Sony, HP, Xiaomi, Asus, Huawei, and Oppo are the top competitors of Apple.

Apple - Future Plans

Every year in June, Apple has its global Annual Developers Conference, and in 2022, the keynote will be held on June 6. Apple will use the event to debut its next-generation software, which will be available in the autumn.

Apple is said to be developing a folding iPhone with a screen size of 7.5 to 8 inches and a release date of 2023 at the utmost. Apple is reported to be working on interactive virtual goggles with an inbuilt processor, dedicated high-end displays, and a Reality Operating System. The gadget will combine hand gestures, touch panels, and voice activation for interaction, and it is projected to cost around $3,000. In 2023, the AR/VR headset is projected to be released.

Apple is working on upgraded 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M2 Pro and M2 Max processors. The M2 Max processor will include a 12-core CPU and a 38-core GPU, and the new computers will be available in 2023.

The storyline of Apple's electric vehicle research has undergone numerous plot twists, but reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims that the company is still targeting a completely autonomous automobile, instead of just a technology offering, with a launch date between 2023 and 2025.

Apple - FAQs

What does Apple do?

Apple Inc. is a global software company headquartered in Cupertino, California, that specialises in portable electronics, software applications, and internet services

When was Apple founded?

Steve Jobs, Ronald Wayne, and Steve Wozniak founded Apple Computers Company as a business deal on April 1, 1976.

Which companies do Apple compete with?

Microsoft, Samsung, Lenovo, Dell, Sony, HP, Xiaomi, Asus, Huawei, and Oppo are some of the companies Apple competes with.