Company Analysis Essay examples

Submitted By dandizzle14
Words: 1495
Pages: 6

I’ve chosen Apple, Inc. for my company analysis. The stock ticker for Apple, Inc. is AAPL and it is traded on the Nasdaq. It is the largest publicly traded company in the world by market capitalization, as well as the largest technology company in the world by revenue and profit. Apple’s products and services include iPhone, iPad, Mac, iPod, Apple TV, the iOS and Mac OS X operating system, iCloud, and various accessory and support offerings, as well as a range of consumer and professional software applications. Apple does business in over 100 countries throughout North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America, Middle East, and the Caribbean. Apple headquarters is located in Cupertino, California. For the purposes of this analysis I’ve opted to examine one Apple product in particular; Macbook Pro. Major competitors include Microsoft, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Sony, Lenovo, and Dell. When it comes to laptop computers there are many consumer options available. Many at a fraction of the Pro’s $1199 price tag. However, the 2012 top selling laptop was Apple’s Macbook Pro. This is due to Apple’s exceptional attention to detail in their computers and overall build quality. The Pro is constructed of high quality aluminum and is put together from a single slab of material. This allows the aluminum to stay in it’s most durable state by eliminating any weak points caused by fused or welded parts. The high quality sound and video cards make this the perfect computer for any musician, video editor, or photographer. The Pro displays one of the sleekest designs on the market and looks as good as it runs. Unlike other laptops that run a third party operating system such as Microsoft’s Windows, Apple writes their own OS for the Macbook Pro. Because this operating system is optimized specifically for the Pro, the computer is able to run as efficiently as possible. The Pro’s operating system is also one of the safest on the market. Due to it’s high security features, viruses are extremely rare. These features contribute directly to Apple’s control of the laptop market. Because demand is so high for the Macbook Pro, Apple is able to charge a premium price while competitors are forced to lower theirs. Although many substitutes are available, the Macbook Pro has managed to display qualities of an inelastic product. Regardless of the higher price tag, consumers are willing to spend the extra money for a higher quality machine. As of September 2011, Apple posted a revenue of $108,249.00M and saw an economic profit of roughly $22,857.40M. Complements to the Macbook Pro include, but are not limited to, cases, skins, software, internet service providers, and other Apple products (iPod, iPad, iPhone). The Macbook Pro has the most accessories available on the market. From various colors to styles, there are websites dedicated to Mac accessories. Millions of dollars are spent each year on accessory items alone. Software sales are even higher. As of today Apple controls 73.4% of the MP3 player market, 83% of online music sales, 75% of phone profits, 80% of mobile apps, 97% of TV downloads, and 67% of the tablet market. Although the numbers don’t show it, Apple does have competition. This is why I believe Apple is an oligopoly. However, as far as responding to competitor pricing, Apple is in a class of it’s own. They do not seem to base their pricing scale to that of their competitors. Apple has managed to create such high demand for their products, consumers are willing to pay whatever price Apple designates. As demand for competitor products begins to fall, companies will start to slash their prices in an attempt to keep sales steady. However, Apple products remain the same price the entire time they’re on store shelves. This directly relates to the exceptional marketing strategies deployed by Apple. It is increasingly clear that Apple is on top of their game in a way like no other. Products are flying off the shelves