Apple
Apple Computing Inc. Strategic Path
Executive Summary
Strategic intent
Apple develops and sells innovative products at a profit and creates a customer experience that change the way people work, think, communicate and learn. Market opportunities are seized by redefining existing market concepts.
Customer knowledge and assessment provides Apple with the learning and understanding to create desire for its products and provide value-added experiences to the users of its products. Knowing how customers think, what they want and how they make decisions provides the information to provide the customer with a value for money experience. The Apple brand must create a desire to own and reward the user with more than just the basic tangible product functionality. Good customer and product support enhances the value perception and experience for the user.
This customer focus enables Apple to create innovative products in early markets. Apple builds on its core-competency to integrate open standards or reinvent into a fit for purpose product with necessary proprietary protection. Research and development allows Apple to be innovative and not just imitate successful business solutions.
Good software solutions and ingenious peripheral interface products comes from an environment and a culture where management has created the necessary space for creativity to develop and succeed whilst maintaining a sense of urgency to deliver. By attending to some of these basic principles Apple has ensured its place as a strong competitor in the market.
Current Conditions Analysis
Current strategy
Apple's current strategy in the PC market revolves around a business of software manufacturing that drives the hardware and retail categories. The official focus is on growth by concentric diversification into portable / mobility and wireless communications, the digital lifestyle and music, iPod, iPod mini and iTunes Music Store (Evans, 2004).
Being second or third to...
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