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Company Profile—Apple Inc.

Apple did not invent the digital music player or the cell phone, yet it has made a name all over the world by reinventing both products through stylish design and cutting-edge technology.

Growth

Steve Jobs and Stephen Wozniak founded Apple Computer in 1976. Their first computer was called the Apple I. Once Apple was incorporated in 1977, Jobs and Wozniak introduced the Apple II computer. Apple went public in 1980. As investors were eager to buy stock in a company with cutting-edge technology, all of Apple’s shares were sold in a few minutes.

In 1983, Apple introduced the Lisa computer, which was the underpinning for the Macintosh computer. Lisa and Macintosh had introduced graphical user interfaces (GUI) to the consumer market that were easy to use.

Jobs tried to take over Apple in 1985, but President and CEO, John Sculley, stopped him with the support of the board. Jobs resigned and Wozniak left to start his own company soon after (Marino & Gamble, 2012).

Products

Apple Computer stands out from similar companies with their unconventional business ideas that constantly redefine the standards for products, marketing, and industry innovation techniques. The company has become well known through their commitment to challenge possibilities of the computer industry. Their goal has always been to make their products more user-friendly and to encourage an open-minded approach when developing new technologies and services (Innovation Leaders Limited, n.d.).

Apple’s primary goal is providing powerful and user-friendly products and solutions with a focus on design. This drives Apple to remain a world leader in media and technology. This philosophy brought to the world such successful products and services as the McIntosh, iTunes, iPod, iPhone, and iPad (Morningstar, 2012).

The company considers the look and feel of their offices to be as important as that of their products and services. The human capital and the working environment are key components to achieving the success that Apple has enjoyed for many years.

References:

Innovation Leaders Limited. (n.d.). Profile: Apple. Retrieved from http://www.innovationleaders.net/apple_company_profile.html

Marino, L., & Gamble, J. E. (2012). Apple in 2010. In A. Thompson, M. Petaraf, J. Gamble, & A. Strickland III (Eds.), Crafting and executing strategy: The quest for competitive advantage, concepts and cases. (18th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Irwin

Morningstar. (2012). Apple, Inc. AAPL. Morningstar Equity Research. Retrieved from http://www.nasdaq.com/MorningStarProfileReports/AAPL_USA.pdf