According to observers, Apple may need a new CEO in order to avoid falling victim to AI. According to analysts Walter Piecyk and Joe Galone of LightShed Partners, Apple needs a CEO who is focused on products, even if Tim Cook, the company’s current CEO, has brought operational experience to the position.
According to a media agency report, the experts said on July 9 that Tim Cook was the right CEO when he was appointed and has undoubtedly performed admirably.
Under Cook’s leadership, Apple has sold more than $2.0 trillion worth of iPhones. As pull-forwards connected to tariffs assist in stabilising replacement cycles that may finally be bottoming out, iPhone sales may actually show signs of life this quarter.
Can Apple Keep Up in AI Race is a Big Question-Analysts
But with Cook still in charge, analysts questioned if Apple could provide a slew of new AI capabilities and updates. According to them, AI will change industries throughout the world economy, and Apple could be one of the victims.
The memo was released the day after Apple revealed that Jeff Williams, its chief operational officer, will soon retire. Sabih Khan, who was born in India, has been appointed by the corporation to succeed Williams.
Khan joined Apple in 1995 and is highly recognised for having revolutionised the company’s global supply chain. He has been in charge of Apple’s operations team since 2019, managing global environmental sustainability, supplier accountability, and manufacturing projects.
Prior to the promotion, he served as senior vice president of operations for the corporation. He will now rank second in the large tech company, behind Cook, as COO.
Search for CEO Already Began
Apple needs drastic changes right now, according to LightShed analysts, even though the promotion of an executive who is currently in the company’s highest ranks indicates stability.
This is due to the fact that Apple is generally seen as having difficulty keeping up in the fiercely competitive AI race. Apple’s AI-enabled Siri has been delayed by almost a year due to alleged technical issues, and the company’s intelligence features have encountered glitches.
During the 2024 WWDC developer conference, the Cupertino-based tech giant announced features that would improve Siri’s comprehension of conversation context.
According to the LightShed team, it would be excessively compassionate to characterise the Siri delay as merely an instance of overpromising and underdelivering. They said that little had changed since then and that Apple was at a standstill when it came to AI.
Renowned developer Ruoming Pang, who was allegedly in charge of Apple’s basic AI model development, departed last week to join Meta’s artificial superintelligence division. Kevan Parekh replaced Luca Maestri as chief financial officer at the beginning of 2025.
Apple is the biggest name in the technological industry. With many amazing products, Apple has very few competitors. Well, the man behind the success and rise of the company is Steve Jobs.
He is regarded as one of the greatest entrepreneurs of all time and is an inspiration for many. Under his leadership, the company started to produce revolutionary technologies, some of the most famous products are the iPhone and iPad. Due to the success of the company, the products are a symbol of economical status in the present generation.
Now the question arises who made Apple the brand it is known for today? And how did Steve Jobs become successful? Steve Jobs entrepreneur story is a powerful example of innovation, resilience, and transforming the tech industry through vision and creativity. Read on to know more about the success story of Steve Jobs.
Steve Jobs Information
Name
Steve Jobs
Born
24 February 1955, San Francisco, California, United States
Died
5 October 2011, Palo Alto, California, United States
Citizenship
American
Education
Reed College, Portland, Oregon
Title
Co-founder, Chairman, and CEO of Apple Inc.
Occupation
Entrepreneur, Industrial designer, Investor, Media proprietor
Steve Jobs was an American inventor and entrepreneur who was the co-founder, chief executive, and chairman of Apple computers which became the biggest name in the technology sector.
The company’s product has dictated the evolution of modern technology. Steve was born in 1995 to two University of Wisconsin graduate students who gave him up for adoption.
Since his childhood, Stevewas smart but directionless. He had dropped out of college and started off experimenting with different sectors before co-founding Apple with Steve Wozniak in 1976. After that, Jobs left the company in 1985 and launched Pixar Animation Studios. Later on, after a decade, Jobs returned to the company.
Steve Jobs Success Story
Steve Jobs – Early Days
Steve was born on February 24, 1955, in San Francisco, California. He lived in Mountain View, California, this place was later renamed the Silicon Valley. During his childhood, Jobs and his father worked on electronic equipment in the family garage. His father used to demonstrate to him how to take apart and reconstruct electronics. This hobby instilled confidence, tenacity, and mechanical prowess in Jobs. Therefore, the path to excellence started to off from his family’s garage.
Jobs was always an intelligent and innovative thinker since his childhood. However, his youth was struck in the quicksand of formal schooling education. Due to the boredom, he was a prankster during his days in elementary school, and hence, his fourth-grade teacher needed to bribe him to study. He tested so well that the administrators wanted him to skip ahead to high school. However, his parents declined that offer.
Post high school, Steve enrolled at Reed College in Portland, Oregon. There too, he was frustrated and dropped out of college and spent the next year and a half dropping in on creative classes at the school. He had developed a love of typography during his struggling days.
In 1974, Jobs took over the job of a video game designer with Atari. A few months later, he left the company and travelled to India.
Job Application – Steve Jobs (Aged 18)
Steve Jobs – How Did He Start Apple
During the days when Jobs was enrolled at Homestead High School, he was introduced to Steve Wozniak. Later on, the duo co-founded Apple. During an interview, Wozniak has stated that their partnership was successful because of their love for electronics.
They used to work for hours with digital chips, and very few had an idea about chips during that time. Although Wozniak had designed many computers before Jobs did, both of them shared a common interest that fueled their journey to success.
Steve Jobs with Steve Wozniak
The start of their entrepreneurial venture was in 1976 when Jobs and Wozniak started a company named Apple Computer. The first headquarters of the company was at Jobs’s family garage. Initially, they funded their entrepreneurial venture by Jobs selling his beloved bus and Wozniak selling his scientific calculator.
Later on, the duo is credited with revolutionizing the computer industry with their company by democratizing the technology and making machines smaller, cheaper, and more accessible to everyday customers.
Wozniak had conceived of a series of user-friendly personal computers, and with Jobs in charge of the marketing sector of the company, they marketed the computer for $666.66 each. The Apple I earned the venture around $774,000! After three years of Apple’s second model, the Apple II, the company’s sales increased by 700 percent to $139 million.
In 1980, the product became a publicly-traded company and comprised a value of $1.2 billion by the end of the first day of trading. Alter on, Jobs asked the marketing expert John Sculley of Pepsi-Cola to accept the role of CEO of Apple. However, the next several products of the company experienced negative feedback due to the flaws in the products. Hence, IBM surpassed Apple in sales and Apple had to compete with a PC dominated world by IBM.
The year 1984 experienced the release of Macintosh, it was both romantic and creative. However, despite positive sales and performance superior to IBM’s PCs, the product was still not compatible with IBM. Later on, Jobswas pushed into a marginalized position in the company and left the company in 1985.
Steve Jobs – Founding NeXT, Returning to Apple, and Pixar
Post his tenure at Apple, Jobs began a new hardware and software enterprise named NeXT. The brand floundered in its attempt to sell its operating system to the public and later on, was taken over by Apple in 1996 for $429 million.
In 1997, Jobs returned to Apple and came back with a new management team. The team under Steve altered stock options and self-imposed an annual salary of $1 per year.
Under Jobs, the company came back on track and his products like iMac gained positive reviews from the customers. In the upcoming years, Apple introduced many more revolutionary products like Macbook Air, iPod, and iPhone. The competitors struggled to produce similar technologies and this became the reason for the success of Apple and Steve Jobs. Later on, Apple became the face of technology.
In 1986, Steve purchased an animation company from George Lucas. This brand was called Pixar Animation Studios. Jobs had invested $50 million of his own money into the company. The studio became popular in the industry by producing many iconic movies like Toy Story, Finding Nemo, and The Incredibles. Pixar’s movies earned the company a whopping $4 billion. In 2006, it merged with Disney and in this case, Jobs was the largest shareholder of the acquisition. In 2024, Steve Jobs’ net worth is estimated to be $7 billion, but he could have been significantly wealthier if he had held onto his Apple shares.
Steve Jobs – Philanthropy
Unlike many billionaires, Steve Jobs was not widely known for philanthropy and faced criticism for not donating as much as his peers. He was a very private person, which led some to believe he may have made anonymous donations over the years. Here are some of the key philanthropic contributions made by Steve Jobs:
After leaving Apple, Jobs created the Stephen P. Jobs Foundation, initially focused on vegetarianism and nutrition, but later shifted to social entrepreneurship.
When Jobs returned to Apple in 1987, he cut Apple’s philanthropic programs to reduce costs. This decision contributed to Apple’s image as one of the least charitable tech companies.
Later in his life, he donated $50 million to Stanford Hospital and gave an undisclosed amount toward AIDS research.
Jobs is mostly remembered and admired for his innovative business achievements, rather than for philanthropy.
Steve Jobs, Apple’s co-founder, shared many powerful quotes that can inspire you as you chase your own business dreams.
Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.
Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected.
You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.
Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice.
Stay hungry. Stay foolish.
Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.
I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance.
You can’t just ask customers what they want and then try to give that to them. By the time you get it built, they’ll want something new.
Conclusion
Steve Jobs is regarded as a marketing genius by many as he made Apple products a status symbol for the next generation. Due to his strong personality and intelligence, Steve Jobs will be remembered as the most iconic entrepreneur ever!
FAQ
Who is Steve Jobs?
Steve Jobs is an American entrepreneur and co-founder of Apple. He is known as the man behind the success of Apple.
How did Steve Jobs start Apple?
Steve Jobs with Steve Wozniak started Apple in his parent’s garage. Steve Wozniak sold his scientific calculator and Steve Jobs sold his Volkswagen bus to fund the business.
Is Steve Jobs an entrepreneur?
Yes, Steve Jobs is an entrepreneur who co-founded Apple with Steve Wozniak.
Who is founder of Apple?
Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak started Apple in 1976 with a capital of $1350.
Where did Steve Jobs grow up?
Steven Paul Jobs grew up in Cupertino, California. It is now known as Silicon Valley.
What made Steve Jobs successful?
Steven Paul Jobs was successful because of his strong vision, creativity, and focus on design and user experience. He had a unique ability to understand what people wanted before they knew it themselves. Jobs also pushed for perfection, inspired his teams, and made bold decisions that changed technology, from the Mac to the iPhone. His passion and persistence helped build Apple into one of the world’s most valuable companies.
How long did it take Steve Jobs to become successful?
Steve Jobs became successful in about 5 years after starting Apple in 1976. By 1980, Apple went public and made him a millionaire. However, his real global success came later with products like the iMac (1998), iPod (2001), and iPhone (2007) after returning to Apple in 1997. His journey had ups and downs, but his major success took about 20–30 years of vision and hard work.
While it’s unsurprising that Covid-19 remains a source of concern for CEOs, other concerns include supply chain disruptions, changing consumer behaviour, labour and employee shortages due to stress and poor mental health, and more To tackle the pandemic’s difficulties, corporate leaders all throughout the World had to act quickly and decisively. Some tried their hardest to keep their businesses afloat, but due to a lack of personnel, resources, demand, or sheer luck, they were unable to manage the difficulties and went to the bottom, while others employed their talents and manpower to perfection and kept themselves and their businesses afloat. Some CEOs could not only overcome obstacles and remain steady in their positions but also advance to the top and flourish. Here are the Top 10 Highest-Paid CEOs in the World right now. These rankings are based on the statistics given by the Fortune 500.
Elon Musk is the founder and CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, the most valuable automaker in the World.
Despite not being paid by Tesla, Musk has been the highest-paid CEO in the US for three years. Instead, when the business achieves specific market capitalization and growth benchmarks, he is awarded stock options. With the help of these options, Musk can buy Tesla stock for a remarkable $70 per share, which at the beginning of January 2022 was trading for close to $1,200 per share. In the first quarter of 2022, Tesla generated $18.76 billion in revenue.
By exercising some Tesla stock options granted in 2018, Musk received income in 2022 totalling roughly $23.5 billion.
As of May 25, Elon Musk’s net worth was estimated to be $193 billion. This indicates that Musk has lost 77.6 billion dollars in fortune from the beginning of the year. By net worth, Musk remains the richest person in the World. He also ranked #2 on the Forbes 400 list of 2022.
Tim Cook, CEO of Apple
Earned Compensation: $770.5 Million
Tim Cook, CEO of Apple
Cook became Apple’s CEO in 2011 following the passing of Steve Jobs. He has consistently appeared on lists of the highest-paid CEOs for a number of years.
Apple’s market value has climbed by $2.2 trillion under Cook, and in 2021, the business made $95 billion in profits. The company encountered difficulties due to the global chip scarcity but was successful in starting internal equipment manufacturing.
Apple outperformed every other American corporation on that front, finishing the year with an enormous $95 billion n earnings. In the first quarter of 2022, Apple generated $97.2 billion in revenue.
The estimated current net worth of Tim Cook is $2 billion. As part of a 10-year issuance of shares worth $1.7 billion, he received an astounding $770.5 million in 2021 alone. Most people would find Cook’s $3 million salary acceptable, but it is nothing compared to his $10.7 million bonus and $250 million in stock awards.
In the Forbes list of billionaires of 2022, Cook ranked #1513.
Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA
Earned Compensation: $561 Million
Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA
NVIDIA Corp., founded in 1993, is a tech corporation best known for its graphics chips, artificial intelligence technology, and Shield gaming consoles. Jensen Huang is the company’s co-founder, current CEO, Director, and President.
Due to the company’s share price increasing by about 60 times over the previous ten years, he realized $561 million in 2022 from the expiration options given in 2011 and 2012. From NVIDIA in the fiscal year ended in 2022, Huang got a total compensation of $23.7 million, out of which $900k was his salary, $18 million was awarded as stock, $4 million was his bonus, and $81k came from other types of compensation.
Nvidia, which went public in 1999, is 3.6% owned by Huang. NVIDIA’s revenue increased by 61% to a record $12.46 billion in 2021, and it was $7.10 billion in the first quarter of 2022.
With a $21.3 billion net worth, he came in at #34 on the Forbes 400 list of billionaires for 2022.
Reed Hastings, CEO of Netflix
Earned Compensation: $453.5 Million
Reed Hastings, CEO of Netflix
The notorious streaming powerhouse Netflix was established in 1997, and Reed Hastings is the company’s co-founder, CEO, and chairman.
In 2021, Netflix generated $24.9 billion in revenue, a 23.8% year-over-year rise, and $5.1 billion in operating profit, an 85% year-over-year increase.
However, as the World reopened after the pandemic, the corporation recently trimmed expenditures due to losing subscribers. Streaming services are another source of rising rivalry for Netflix.
Hastings’ total remuneration for the 2021 fiscal year was $40 million. Of this amount, $442k came from other forms of income, $39 million came from stock options, and $650k came from salary.
Reed Hastings’ net worth was $2.9 billion as of 2022. He also ranked #801 on the Forbes list of billionaires in 2022 and #188 on Forbes 400 (2021).
Leonard Schleifer, CEO of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals
Earned Compensation: $452.9 Million
Leonard Schleifer, CEO of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals
Leonard Schleifer, the current CEO of the company, founded the biotech company Regeneron Pharmaceuticals in 1988, which deals in the research, creation, testing, manufacturing, and distribution of medications to treat cancer, asthma, and chronic pain.
Due to the company’s REGEN-COV antibody medication for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19, revenue increased 89.1% in 2021 to reach $16.07 billion.
The business generated $2.97 billion in revenue in the first quarter of 2022.
Schleifer received a total payout of $6 million. Of this total, $672 thousand came from other forms of income, $4 million came from bonuses, and $1 million came from salaries. Schleifer’s current net worth is $1.1 billion. He also ranked #2324 on the Forbes list of billionaires in 2022 and #339 on Forbes 400 (2020).
Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce
Earned Compensation: $439.4 Million
Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce
In 1999, Benioff established Salesforce, a company that creates cloud-based enterprise software for customer relationship management with the tagline “The End of Software.” Sales force automation, community management, a salesforce platform, solutions tailored to particular industries, digital commerce, customer service and support, collaboration, and marketing automation are some of its solutions. Additionally, the company offers consulting, counselling, support, and training services.
In 2021, revenue increased by 24.7%, reaching a total of $21.25 billion. Revenue increased by 24% year over year to $7.41 billion in the first quarter of 2022.
His base pay of $1,440,000, cash bonuses of $2,816,640, and benefits of $1,291,541 make up his $39,907,534 in yearly income.
Additionally, he was listed #74 on the Forbes 400 in 2021 and #275 on the Forbes list of billionaires in 2022.
Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft
Earned Compensation: $309.4 million
Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft
In 2014, billionaire Satya Nadella succeeded billionaire Steve Ballmer as CEO of Microsoft. Nadella formerly held the position of Microsoft EVP for the cloud and enterprise group. Nadella’s peers probably think he merits a large salary. In place of the company’s faltering mobile strategy, he has steered it toward alternative markets like cloud computing and augmented reality.
A chip shortage that affected Xbox game systems was another issue the corporation had to deal with. Microsoft reported $168 billion in total revenue in 2021, an increase of 17.5%, and $7.8 billion in the first quarter of 2022.
The total remuneration received by Satya Nadella was $49.8 million. A salary of $2.5 million was paid out of this amount, along with bonuses of $14.2 million, stock awards of $33 million, and other forms of compensation of $109 thousand.
In 1991, Kotick was appointed Activision’s CEO. The gaming behemoth creates and publishes interactive entertainment, and its most well-known titles include Call of Duty and World of Warcraft.
Kotick made $296.7 million from the value of vested restricted shares last year. In spite of Kotick’s personal handling of assault claims at the game producer and several lawsuits alleging harassment, and sexism, Microsoft decided to purchase Activision in January for $68.7 billion, making it the company’s largest acquisition to date.
Kotick received total compensation of $826.5k, of which $108.5k came from different sources of compensation, and $718k was salary.
Hock E. Tan, CEO of Broadcom
Earned Compensation: $288 Million
Hock E. Tan, CEO of Broadcom
Tan, raised in Malaysia, received a scholarship to attend MIT before starting his career. Since Avago purchased the semiconductor business in 2015 for $37 billion, he has served as CEO of Broadcom.
A leading provider of infrastructure software and semiconductors, Broadcom is a multinational technology business. It uses infrastructure software, semiconductor products, and IP licensing to operate.
In 2021, the company’s revenue increased 14.9% to $27.4 billion.
Tan received total pay of $60 million, including a salary of $1.2 million, a bonus of $5.4 million, $54 million in stock, and $46,000 in other forms of compensation.
Safra A. Catz, CEO of Oracle
Earned Compensation: $239.5 Million
Safra A. Catz, CEO of Oracle
Safra A. Catz has travelled a long but rewarding path. Prior to joining Oracle as a Senior Vice President in 1999, she worked as a banker. She then joined Mark Hurd as Co-CEO of Oracle in 2014. Hurd retired in 2019, citing health concerns, and Catz took over as CEO.
Oracle has seen slow revenue growth in recent years despite offering products and services that address many facets of corporate information technology settings. It is best recognized for its database software. As of May 2022, the regulatory approval process for Oracle’s $28 billion acquisition of Cerner, a provider of electronic health records, was still ongoing in the United States and Europe.
Catz received a total payout of $10 million. $950 thousand of this total was earned as a salary, $9 million as a bonus, and $96 thousand from other forms of compensation.
Catz has a net worth of $1.4 billion. Additionally, she was listed #19 on the Forbes list of America’s Self-Made Women in 2022 and #1922 on the Forbes list of billionaires in 2022.
Conclusion
While these CEOs are on the top, others are climbing this stairwell, like Eric Yuan, Ann-Marie Campbell, Amrita Ahuja, Satya Nadella, Lisa Barton, and many more. Some of them are doing it at a very fast pace, while others are playing it steady. It won’t be long before these names are among the highest-paid CEOs in the World.
FAQs
Who are the highest-paid CEOs in the world?
Top 10 Highest-Paid CEOs in the world are:
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla
Tim Cook, CEO of Apple
Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA
Reed Hastings, CEO of Netflix
Leonard Schleifer, CEO of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals
Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce
Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft
Robert A. Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard
Hock E. Tan, CEO of Broadcom
Safra A. Catz, CEO of Oracle
Who is the highest-paid CEO in the world?
Elon Musk is the highest-paid CEO in the world with an annual compensation of $23.5 billion.
Who is the highest-paid female CEO?
Safra A. Catz, CEO of Oracle is the highest-paid female CEO. She got an annual compensation of $239.5 million in 2021.
What is the revenue of Tesla?
Tesla brought a revenue of $53.8 billion in 2021.
What is Elon Musk’s salary at Tesla?
Elon Musk got annual compensation of $23.5 billion from Tesla in 2021.
Who is the richest CEO in the world?
Elon Musk is the richest CEO in the world with a net worth of $227 billion.
Company Profile is an initiative by StartupTalky to publish verified information on different startups and organizations. The content in this post has been approved by Apple.
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
Startup Name
Apple
Formerly Called
Apple Computer Company (1976–1977), Apple Computer, Inc. (1977–2007)
Industry
Consumer electronics, Software, and Online services
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 Logo
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.
Founders of Apple – Steve Jobs (left) and Steve Wozniak (right)
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.
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.
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.
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
Date
Organization Name
Round
Amount
May 5, 2022
CNote
Corporate Round
$25M
Dec 6, 2021
Trala
Venture Round
$6.9M
Nov 4, 2021
Lime
Convertible Note
$418M
Aug 26, 2021
VamosVentures
Corporate Round
–
Aug 26, 2021
SweetBio
Corporate Round
–
Jun 22, 2021
Alabama A & M University
Grant
$1.3M
Jun 17, 2021
Morgan State University
Grant
$6.3M
May 7, 2021
II-VI
Post-IPO-Equity
$410M
Mar 31, 2021
UnitedMasters
Series B
$50M
May 7, 2020
Copan Diagnostics
Grant
$10M
Apple – Acquisitions
Acquiree Name
About Acquiree
Date
Amount
Joby Aviation
Joby Aviation is an aerospace transportation company developing electric aircrafts.
Apr 1, 2022
–
Credit Kudos
Credit Kudos is a credit bureau that uses financial behavior and data through open banking to measure creditworthiness.
Mar 23, 2022
$150M
AI Music
Exploring the relationship between music and AI to enable a new age of music consumption
Feb 7, 2022
–
Paws, Inc
Paws, Inc., was founded in 1981 by cartoonist Jim Davis, as a creative house to support Garfield licensing.
Aug 30, 2021
–
SourceDNA
SourceDNA is a code similarity engine enabling companies that make or sell code to track what’s inside apps.
May 6, 2021
–
Vilynx
Vilynx increases engagement, efficiency, and insight with leading products for Publishers in the digital world.
Oct 27, 2020
$50M
Scout FM
Scout FM is a hand-curated podcast radio stations personalized with the power of data and artificial intelligence.
Sep 24, 2020
–
Spaces
SPACES designs VR, AR and MR experiences for theme parks, retail, and other public locations worldwide.
Aug 24, 2020
–
Mobeewave
Mobeewave is a Canadian-based startup that allows any mobile app to accept in-person payments with no extra hardware.
Aug 1, 2020
$100M
Fleetsmith
Fleetsmith puts Apple device management and security on auto-pilot.
Jun 24, 2020
–
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.
Everyone is fascinated by the multimillion-dollar Apple company. The fact that no other electronics company has a fan base larger than Apple, is noteworthy. Apple is a brand, a symbol of high standard and elegance used by several pop stars. The exorbitant price tags of Apple products do not deter its customers from buying them.
Read on to find out the hidden facts dug up from the archives of Apple’s past.
When the company had just launched, people thought the name ‘Apple’ came from founder Steve Jobs and resembles the organic product. In truth, it was only the fruit that Jobs was very fond of and named the company after that.
Steve Jobs primarily wanted the original iPhone to be used as a regular phone
Because of the ease of texting and social media integration, it’s not an exaggeration to say that the iPhone transformed cellphones into highly functional mini-computers. Although it may come as a surprise, the original iPhone was designed primarily as a phone.
The First Apple Logo Featured Isaac Newton
The absolute first Apple logo highlighted Sir Isaac Newton sitting under a tree, with an apple going to hit his head. The Newton logo was shaped by the less acknowledged Apple founder Ronald Wayne.
Apple First Logo
The rainbow apple, planned by Rob Janoff, replaced Sir Isaac and was in use for a long time until the new monochromatic logo came out.
The Apple I Costed around $666.66
Apple’s customers aren’t deterred by its high prices. Apple PC prices have skyrocketed in recent years, causing concern among many apple buyers. Even today’s 17-inch MacBook Pro or MacBook Air are more expensive than the first Apple PC.
Apple First Computer
The Apple I was evaluated at $666.66, as Steve Wozniak once clarified at a news conference, “I was into repeating digits,” he said and clarified that the discount cost to stores was $500, and adding a third to get the retail cost made it around $667, which Woz changed to every one of the one rehashing digit — $666.66 — “was only simpler to type.”
Apple has a ‘No Smoking’ policy near its products
Mac has a “no smoking” policy in regards to their PCs. As ludicrous as it sounds, yet if you smoke while using an Apple PC, you void the guarantee – you’ve been cautioned!. Apple has would not fix the PCs of buyers that were found to have tar soot from cigs, proclaiming it a “biohazard” to its employees.
The Name “Mac” Was Inspired by an Apple
Where did the name “Mac” come from? Apple representative Jef Raskin is liable for instituting the machine after his #1 assortment of apples, insightfully tying the entire natural product topic together. Mac was only a code-name.
In any case, Raskin unmistakably knew a decent name when he generated it, as Macintosh just had a lot of strength and adhered right to the end of the product cycle.
Apple is extremely successful
Apple has twice the amount of cash as the U.S. Depository!. Apple is effective to such an extent that in the primary quarter of 2014, it got more cash flow than Amazon, Google, and Facebook consolidated. Around $150 billion of Apple’s excess capital is held in bank accounts. Netflix, Twitter, Tesla, and Facebook, for example, are all possible targets for acquisition by the organization.
Apple Watch was intended to be Rectangular
Apple Watch
Round cases bode well for watches throughout the globe. Yet, Apple went the opposite way and made the Apple Watch rectangular. Until this point, Apple Watches have a rectangular touchscreen face with adjusted corners and a turning crown button for scrolling over.
Apple sold more watches in 2019 than the whole Swiss watch industry
The Apple Watch surpassed the whole Swiss watch industry in 2019, as per research firm Strategy Analytics. As indicated by the UK-based counseling firm Strategy Analytics, Apple sold 30.7 million watches in 2019, contrasted with 21.1 million sold by the Swiss Watch industry.
Although Swiss watches are luxurious and have several buyers of their own, Apple watches have occupied a special place in the market.
Apple made a $17,000 sold Gold Apple Watch
Apple 18-Karat Gold Watch
Close by the original Apple Watch what began at $349, Apple additionally disclosed a watch evaluated at $17,000. The very good quality “Release”, was valued somewhere in the range of $10,000 and $17,000 and was produced using custom composites of rose or yellow 18-karat gold. The “Release” watch was designated at the Chinese market.
The Name “iPod” Was Inspired By 2001: A Space Odyssey
Sharp publicist Vinnie Chieco is acknowledged for thinking of the iPod name as a component of a new gadget. The story goes that Jobs had effectively chosen the MP3 player’s slogan was to be “1,000 tunes in your pocket,” which left naming choices open since it wouldn’t need to expressly allude to something music-related.
The First iPod Had A Secret Easter Egg
Apple Breakout Game
Mac’s first iPod accompanied somewhat secret — an Easter egg — as a game that could be gotten to if you knew the right blend of catches to press.
Go to the ‘About’ menu, hold down the middle catch for around three seconds, and you’ll get a Breakout (Pong) game to play while you tune in.”
Breakout, the secret game itself, is eminent in Apple’s set of experiences when Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak worked together where legend has it Jobs cheated Wozniak out of thousands of dollars of bonus money.
FAQ
How much is Apple in debt?
According to the Apple’s most recent financial statement, total debt of the company is at $112.04 billion, with $99.28 billion in long-term debt and $12.76 billion in current debt.
What is Apple’s net worth?
The total net worth of Apple is $2 Trillion in 2021.
What is Apple’s slogan?
Apple’s slogan is “Think Different” which is one of the most recognizable slogans of the 21st Century. The idea was first introduced in the 1997 TV commercial.
Apple had kicked off its WWDC 2021 on 8 June 2021 announcing all the new projects and updated that are going to be released on the Apple devices. Some of the announcements included about iOS 15, Face Time updates, Focus mode, Live Text, Apple Wallet, Apple Maps, AirPods Updates, iPadOS, Security updates, Health updates, watchOS, macOS, and also updated about Siri going to be used on the third party devices.
Almost all the new updates and features have been covered in the WWDC 2021. In this article let’s look at what exactly is WWDC that is hosted by Apple and how one can participate in it.
WWDC is nothing but a conference that is hosted by Apple and WWDC stands for Worldwide Developers Conference. This Information technology based conference is held by Apple on an annual basis. The first WWDC was held in 1983 where Apple basic was introduced.
From 1987 to 2002 WWDC was held during the month of May, during 2003, 2005 and 2007 the WWDC was held during the month of June, in the year 2004 it was held during the late of June or the beginning of July and in the year 2006 it was held during the month of August.
The WWDC Event contents
The event is hosted in order to show the new features or updates on the macOS, iOS, iPadOS, tvOS and watchOS families as well as other software updates of Apple. In general, the conference concentrates on technology and software that is related to the Apple family or their Operating System.
Until the year 2002, Apple never used to conference for launching its new software and technology later on they started the conference as a launchpad for new products.
The conference will contain a keynote address, special get togethers, presentation sessions, events and one to one lab consultations.
The event begin with a keynote address from Tim Cook. Earlier it was started off with Steve Jobs and it was often called by the media as Steve Note. The first day will cover the announcements of the new products of Apple and it would be attended by the conference attendees and the media. The new products or the hardware announced by Apple will mostly be exhibited in the conference hall.
The keynote address will be continued by announcing the software changes, updates and the new features that are launched by Apple. The company also announces the Apple Design Awards on the first day of the conference.
The detailed sessions of the software updates and features will be carried on during the later days of the event. Most of the presentations and sessions will be conducted by the Apple employees which will be recorded and interested people will be able to view them on the Apple Developer Website that is available on the iOS and the tvOS platforms of the conference.
There are lunchtime sessions which will be delivered by the guest speakers at the conference and it will be mostly the experts from the field of technology and science. These sessions however will not be recorded. Earlier there were question and answer sessions and also a session where the attendees could interact with the Apple employees.
The labs will have Apple engineers where one can have a one-to-one consultation with the developers and also there will be the availability of consultation sessions with experts in the user interface design.
The most recent WWDC i.e., 2021 WWDC was held online due to the ongoing Coronavirus Pandemic. Generally, the offline conference would be held in the San Jose convention center, California.
The WWDC 2021 was a free session for all developers. All the developers from worldwide could attend the conference and also get access to the future versions of iPadOS, iOS, macOS, tvOS and watchOS. The developers also could engage with Apple engineers through engineering sessions, one to one lab appointments and also the Apple Developer Forums which were revamped and improved ahead of WWDC 2021.
The tickets were given through an online lottery and the students and the members of STEM organizations were able to avail scholarships. Only the attendees above the age of 13 were allowed and they were also a member of the Apple Developer Programme.
Apple WWDC 2018
The WWDC had a strength of 2000 to 4200 members until the year 2007 and during the year 2007, Steve Jobs had announced that the WWDC had around 5000 attendees. The WWDC held during the year 2018 had around 6000 participants from around 70+ countries which included 350 scholarship participants.
Conclusion
WWDC 2021 hosted by Apple had provided the information and tools that were required to turn the ideas of the worldwide apple developer community and the next generation developer community’s dreams into reality. Apple has around 28 million developers around the globe.
FAQ
What is Apple WWDC21?
The all-online conference that used to take place every spring at Apple Park in California, offers insights into the future of Apple’s operating systems such as iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS.
Where can I watch WWDC 2021?
WWDC 2021 was streamed live online from June 7 to 11, entirely virtual for the second year in a row.
Is the WWDC event free?
The WWDC event was held online due to ongoing coronavirus pandemic and was free for all developers.
Snapchat is an American based social media company. It is a multimedia messaging app which is developed by Snap Inc. Snapchat has a lot of features and one of the prime features of the company is that the message and the images that are sent are usually for a short period of time and later the users will not be able to access it.
Snapchat has around 265 million daily active users, with the app available in more than 30 languages. In this article let’s look at why the CEO of Snapchat had said that the app wouldn’t exist without Apple.
Evan Spiegel who is the CEO of Snapchat had recently conveyed that the mobile application Snapchat wouldn’t exist without Apple’s iPhone. This was regarding the new policy of Apple where they had conveyed that they would charge 30% fees on any in-app transactions on various platforms.
The CEO of Snapchat had conveyed that they don’t have any problem in paying the amount charged by Apple and to the rules set by Apple. He added that the company doesn’t have a choice but to accept the 30% fees charged by Apple but the company was happy to pay them in exchange for the amazing technology which is provided by Apple in terms of software as well as the advancements provided in their hardware.
Regarding the new update for the iPhone users with regards to privacy, Evan Spiegel has said that Snapchat is on the same page as of Apple and conveyed that they are aligned with the company to helping in protecting the privacy policy.
The CEO of Snapchat had also stated that their investment in the privacy policy made 10 years earlier is really paying off right now. The ATT is expected to create an impact on the advertising business model of social media companies like Facebook and Snapchat which the CEO of Snapchat is very well aware of.
Steps taken by Snapchat towards Apple’s Privacy update
Snapchat’s CEO has said that he is very well aware of how the update of Apple would impact their business model and he also said that the company has been working with their advertisers to in order to shift to the new ad tracking network of Apple.
Apple uses the ad tracking network to measure the effectiveness of the advertisements on the mobile applications. Spiegel has conveyed that the transition has gone smoothly for their business.
Some experts believe that snapchat works better on iPhone because it has different OS than android.
What are Apple’s new privacy changes?
With Apple’s latest software update, iPhone and iPad users will now encounter pop-ups in the apps they use, asking whether the user wants to allow the app “to track your activity across other companies’ apps and websites.
Who is the CEO of Snapchat?
Evan Spiegel is the CEO of Snapchat.
Conclusion
The App Tracking business model of Apple had seen a lot of criticism including the social media giant Facebook claiming that this model was set to increase their profits and not keeping in mind the privacy of the users. However, the new feature is live for all iPhone users across the world.
One of the most well-known rivalry in the technological industry is between Apple Inc and Microsoft Corporation. They are two of the largest companies in the world as both Apple and Microsoft have touched market capitalization value of $1.5 trillion in 2020. Both the companies have revolutionized the technological industry by providing us with two very different software applications and gadgets such as Mac and PC.
They are two of the most established companies when it comes to the production of computers. Both Apple and Microsoft are competitors even in different sectors of the industry like hardware devices like smartphone and PCs, advertising, making software’s, operating systems, etc. Apple main aim is to produce gadgets like iPhone, Mac, Apple watch , etc, while Microsoft focuses on making software applications for different devices and giving license for their software services.
Which is why both the companies have different approaches to marketing strategies. Let’s put a light on some of the key points from the marketing strategies of both companies and check how you can implement them in your business.
Apple Inc is one of the most well known American corporation which is popular for creating unique designs and selling electronics, computer software and online services. The headquarters of people Inc is situated in Cupertino, California. The company is credited for designing products such as Macintosh range of computers, iPad, iPhone, iPod, Mac, Apple watch, etc. The company is also know to make software such as iLife, the safari web browser, iOS and iTunes among others. Apple now operates in over 350 stores around the world and offers both software and hardware.
The success story of Apple
The success of Apple Inc. is solely because of the contributions made by the cofounder and entrepreneur, Steve Jobs who created good looking, easy to use products and the ability to create innovative products that consumer’s desire. The company was created during the unstable economic situation of the 1970’s. The company introduced Macintosh in 1984 after which it also got its widespread recognition because of its marketing and advertisements for its products. In 90’s after jobs resignation, apple lost a huge market share to its lower priced competitors Microsoft and Intel.
In 2000, when jobs returned and became the CEO, Apple gained it prominence after the launch of iMac and the Think different campaigns. In August 2011, Jobs resigned as CEO due to health issues, which led to Tim Cook becoming the new CEO. And the rest is history. Apple’s annual revenue for 2020 was $274.5 billion, making Apple Inc the world’s most valuable company. As of January 2021, Apple has achieved the title of becoming the world’s largest PC vendor and also becoming the world’s fourth largest manufacturers of smartphones. Apple is now also the world’s largest music retailer with iTunes.
Microsoft Corporation is an US based multinational technology company which is headquartered in Redmond, Washington. The company is known for manufacturing, licensing and selling software’s, consumer electronics, PCs, etc. Some of its well-recognized and popular contributions to the tech industry is Microsoft office suite, internet explorer, Xbox video game consoles and a variety of PCs. Microsoft is also one of the top five tech companies in the US that includes Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft. In 2020 Microsoft became the 21st company in the Fortune 500 list.
The success story of Microsoft
The company was founded by Bill Gates in 1975 . The company was made from contributions of the ideas of two individuals Bill Gates and Paul Allen, as they were interested in computers and programming. The company rose to prominence in 80s with developments like Altair 8800, MS-DOS and the most popular Microsoft windows. Bill gates was then replaced by Steve Ballmer as the CEO in 2000. In the 90s the company made major acquisitions of Skype for $8.5 billion in 2011 and LinkedIn for $26.2 Billion in 2016.
Microsoft provides a vast range of products and service that are aimed at satisfying the customers on what they want in the software industry. In addition to this, the company has extended its operations in other sectors in order to enhance its competitive advantage. The company now offers a wide range of products, software’s and servers for its user’s desktops, laptops, tabs, gadgets and servers including internet search with Bing, cloud computing with Azure, mixed reality with Hololens and software development with visual studio.
The Target Audience of Apple and Microsoft
Apple Inc. has both software and hardware products and services, for software it has iCloud, iLife, iMessage, iMovie, iTunes, etc and for hardware it has iPhone, Macbook, iMac, Apple watch, iPad, etc. Which is why the apple has a vast array of target audience as it keeps expanding its market with every new product. Apple already has 1.5 billion users who fall under the age bracket of 22 to 55 years old. The male to female user ratio is 60.8% to 39.2% showing that it is expanding in the male market.
Apple also targets people with medium to high income individuals who live in metropolitan cities and are loyal to the brand. The occupation group of Apple users are considered to be students and young professionals to even managers and executives. Microsoft also has both software and hardware products and services. Everyone from the middle class house at least owns one Microsoft hardware or software that is because the target audience of Microsoft are people who don’t necessarily have a high income.
Microsoft’s target audience age group range from 16 and older and from both urban and rural areas around the world. They also target young crowds that are usually students, employees and professionals and are loyal to the brand. Microsoft also uses the approach of STP which is Market Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning in order to bring about communications in marketing as it enables the company to make propositions their priority.
Apple’s marketing mix shows us how the company matches with its business activities to the conditions in the worldwide market for information technology, consumer’s electronics and online services. While Microsoft’s is known to be marketing mix that shows how rapid invention and innovation can be combined with effective approaches to maintain a strong share of the market. Here are the 4Ps (Products, Place, Promotion, Price) of both the companies.
The marketing mix of Apple
Product mix
Apples products mostly comprise of mostly of both hardware and software which involve information technology. Apple although has more hardware products and some of the well-known products are Mac products line, iPhone line, iPad line, iPod line Apple watches, Apple TV, while it software products are software of devices, accessories, cloud services, digital content, etc.
Microsoft on the other hand started out as a software developer and still continues to give it its first preferences. However this company has grown to include an variety of products and services. Some of its products are providing different software to various devices, Apps, Xbox Video game consoles and entertainment.
Placement mix analyses the selection of appropriate places or venues that are used by the company to distribute its products. Apple Inc. placement involves apple owned locations and other parties that the company authorizes to distribute its products. Most of Apples distribution happens from Apple store locations, Company owned website and online stores for desktop and authorized sellers and lastly the telecommunication companies.
Microsoft tries to maximize its reach in the sectors of both computer hardware and software market. The company does its distribution on their official website, authorized sellers and Microsoft stores.
The marketing mix of Microsoft
Price mix
Apple uses two pricing strategy which are Freemium pricing strategy and premium pricing strategy. Apple uses premium pricing strategy to set high prices for its products which is why apple products are more expensive then android products, with this it maximizes profit margins.
In the freemium pricing case apple products are free but customers have to pay to access better features, for example the company offers free 5 GB iCloud storage but if the user wants more they can by purchasing. However Microsoft applies suitable pricing approaches like Market-oriented pricing strategy, Freemium pricing strategy similar to apple’s and Buy only what you use price strategy.
Promotional mix
Apple promotes its products in various ways to include different channels and parties. Apple also uses word of mouth, marketing campaigns and beautifully planned ad video that reaches out to their target audience. Microsoft aims on creating effective communication strategies and tactics which can be used to attract target audience. Both Apple and Microsoft uses tactics such as advertising, sales promotion, direct marketing, personal selling and public relations to promote their products.
Apple is known to be the best companies when it comes to branding and tech marketing. They don’t just market their products they try to market a brand identity. One of its main market strategies is to keep the products and marketing simple because they don’t want to overwhelm their prospective customers with too many choices. Apple lets its products speak for themselves with their simplistic design and easy to understand descriptions and simple visuals.
One of Apple’s best marketing strategies is hyping its products and making a creative campaign. The other reasons are that they understand their target audience and try to reach out to them in the language they will understand which is done by simplifying the marketing process. One of the points of Apple’s tech marketing is that they know how to speak directly to their consumer. They also create brilliant video ads and billboards that showcases human needs and speaks to the customer’s human needs.
Microsoft on the other hand depends completely on showcasing its product effectiveness and usability. Microsoft spends a lot as it depends on B2B marketing that directly sells its products to the customers. Microsoft has also updated its marketing strategy which is now based upon customer feedback and market changes. In this day and age, Microsoft has somehow managed to develop not only its marketing but also its products in order to match the rapid rate of change in today’s market.
Microsoft’s marketing strategy is to drive its enterprises business by creating cloud based solutions that will stick with its consumers. Microsoft uses a mix of demographic and behavior segmentation strategies to segments the market into different group with similar characteristics. Segmenting based on demographics is important for products like Operating systems and Office products which are applicable to everyone.
Apple has several competitive advantages over its competitors one of which is that it produces superior technological products with good OS and technology like iPhone, Macbook and iWatch making it a leader in the market space. Apple has also repeatedly taken the top spot for its brand equity and also has loyal customers. Apple has increased its revenue over the past years and also has high margins.
One of the major competitive advantages of Apple is the amount it spends on R&D, always thinking about the future of the company. Microsoft offers both software and hardware products and services, from Microsoft tablet to Xbox console games to even software. So one of the main competitive advantage that Microsoft has over its competitors is the strategy of making acquisitions. Microsoft has so far acquired companies like Hotmail, Skype and even Nokia.
Microsoft is a main competitor to apple because its operating system is installable on any PC or laptop and there is no hardware binding on the operating system which is a problem noticeable in Apple gadgets. It also has a vast product line and has worked upon TCO which is total cost of ownership so as to make the software easily and economically available to the customers.
Frequently Asked Questions – FAQs
What are some of the Apple’s products?
Apple products mostly comprise of mostly of both hardware and software which are Mac products line, iPhone line, iPad line, iPod line Apple watches, Apple TV, while it software products are software of devices, accessories, cloud services, digital content, etc.
What are some of Microsoft products?
Microsoft also has software and hardware products and usually provides different software to various devices, Apps, Xbox Video game consoles and entertainment.
What is Apple’s marketing strategy?
Apple marking strategy involves keeping its products and ads simple, knowing their target audience and reaching out to them, getting good feedback, a well appreciated customer experience.
What is Microsoft’s marketing strategy?
Microsoft marketing strategy focuses on showcasing its product effectiveness and usability and implementing customer feedback to create user-friendly products at a reasonable price.
