Apple Inc.'s Position in the Domestic and Global Marketplace

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Apple Inc. Apple Inc. is a multinational company with its headquarters in California, the United States. For years, the company has been developing, designing, manufacturing, and selling computer software, online services, and consumer electronics. Its hardware products are as popular as the software items, especially the iPad, the iPhone, the Mac, the iPod, the Apple TV, the HomePod, and the Apple Watch. Some of its most incredible and widely used software are macOS, iOS, iTunes, Safari web browsers, iWork and iLife suites, and Xcode, Logic Pro, and Final Cut Pro (Sanchirico 13). Apple Inc.'s online services to its users include Mac App Store, iCloud, the iTunes and iOS stores, and Apple Music. Talking about its history, Steve Jobs collaborated with Ronald Wayne and Steve Wozniak in April 1976 for a project which they called Apple I personal computer. Soon the sales of this computer skyrocketed, and the three hired a team of computer designers, engineers, and financial advisors to begin a company of their own. Apple Inc. went public in 1980 and took only a few years to become one of the top tech companies in the world. A few years later, Apple Inc. was criticized for the high price tag for most of its products and a limited number of software titles. In 1985, Steve Wozniak stepped away from the company, and Steve Jobs resigned and founded a separate company titled NeXT. With the advancements in science and technology, more and more products were introduced in international markets, and consumers now had the option of choosing low-priced products. In such circumstances, it became difficult for Apple Inc. to maintain its reputation and loyalty for long. In 1997, CEO Gil Amelio brought Steve Jobs back to the company by buying NeXT, and Steve became the new chairman of Apple Inc. He worked hard to rebuild the company's status, opened online stores, acquired several companies to create a portfolio of services, and changed the way the hardware and software were manufactured and marketed. By January 2007, Apple Inc. regained its market value and returned to profitability (Sanchirico 16). The same year, Steve Jobs announced that the company would focus on consumer electronics and that the iPhone would soon be marketed. It was the first mobile phone of its kind, which was praised for its extraordinary special features, sleek design, and affordability. The success of the iPhone benefited Apple Inc. in many ways. Its worldwide revenues increased from $100 billion to $220 billion.

As of August 2018, Apple Inc. has become the first American brand to be valued at nearly $1.2 trillion. The company currently has over 120,000 and nearly 500 retail stores in more than 20 countries worldwide. Apple's iTunes Store is considered one of the largest music retailers. According to experts, over 1.5 billion Apple products are in use, and most of the consumers are happy with the quality and consistency (Baily et al., 12). However, the company sometimes has to face criticism regarding fluctuating environmental practices, the labor practices of its contractors, and the origin of source materials. It does not mean Apple Inc. is going to leave the industry. It only means the CEO has to answer all the questions of the public and analysts and focus on maintaining quality. After the death of Steve Jobs, Apple had been through various controversies, but the new manager managed to deal with all problems professionally.

The Competitive Marketplace of the Company

With technical innovations, creating marketing methodologies, and minimalistic designs, Apple Inc. has become the world's leading and most trustable technology company. It is often regarded as a game-changer, given that Apple's iPhone changed the mindset of various people toward the entertainment and technology industries. In the domestic markets and internationally, Apple Inc. has gained much recognition, and every product of this company is launched to bring revolutions. Due to the iPod, iPhone, and iPad launch and success, Apple Inc. has always been in the headlines, both locally and globally. Today, its MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac, and MacBook Mini are loved and appreciated due to their unique features, the availability of accessories, affordability, and of course, the quality (Heracleous 92). Lenovo is a Chinese company that has been selling consumer PCs, consumer electronics, and mobile phones for quite a long time. They recently dived in the software industry, and this is where Lenovo became a big competitor of Apple Inc. Like the latter, Lenovo hires many employees every year, and its estimated annual revenues are $30 billion.

Samsung has become a household name. It is one of the top competitors of Apple Inc. Samsung is famous for its high profile and top-notch mobile phones and personal computers, and its products are known for their configuration, designs, quality, affordability, and top-class features. Both companies have maintained a loyal fan following who report great satisfaction with their products as two of the best brands, Apple Inc. and Samsung, have significant market shares. For example, Samsung's Note series and Galaxy series are as popular among consumers as Apple's iPhone series. These are said to be premium quality mobiles, but the same cannot be said for Samsung's laptops (Heracleous 94). Unfortunately, this company has not brought forward as powerful laptops as Apple has given to its consumers. Hewlett Packard (HP) has been around since 1939. David Hewlett and Williams Packard founded the company. As a combined entity, Hewlett Packard has long struggled through different business hurdles to achieve success as one of the leading consumer PC vendors of the world. The company was split up into HP Inc. and HP enterprise. Today, it has more t...