Apple has managed to come out on top after almost three decades full of turbulent management and direction in an industry that is considered one of the most competitive in existence. The company’s success in the last decade can be fully attributed to the re-acquisition of their original visionary and leader, Steve Jobs. With Jobs back at the helm the company has managed to return to its roots and carve out a significant niche that could only be described as innovative personal technology. It is impossible to deny that, over the last five years, Apple has firmly positioned themselves as the premier creator, manufacturer, and distributor of some of the most innovative and quite frankly, coolest technology that is available. From the release of the iPod and Intel-based Mac to the more recent iPad and iPhone, the company has literally driven innovation in the industry. They have also done so in a manner befitting the original high standard that Steve Jobs instilled in the company from its inception. One must view the Apple commanded by Jobs as one that does not fit the M.O. of a typical PC manufacturer. As such, comparing the company to Dell, Hewlett-Packard, or even Microsoft is not necessarily a fair or justified comparison. Yes, the market share held by Apple in the PC market is undeniably small, yet this is not unexpected for a company who produces products aimed at such a specific niche in the market; too often are illogical parallels drawn between Microsoft and Apple. Microsoft may hold the dominant share of the PC industry, yet they are primarily a PC manufacturer. Attempting to quantify Apple under the same terminology becomes increasingly more difficult and unreasonable with each product release by Apple. To me it seems that Apple is positioned in the best possible place for the company: the one that they created. Apple does make products that overlap into markets inhabited by other companies, yet these other companies are not Apple,
Apple has managed to come out on top after almost three decades full of turbulent management and direction in an industry that is considered one of the most competitive in existence. The company’s success in the last decade can be fully attributed to the re-acquisition of their original visionary and leader, Steve Jobs. With Jobs back at the helm the company has managed to return to its roots and carve out a significant niche that could only be described as innovative personal technology. It is impossible to deny that, over the last five years, Apple has firmly positioned themselves as the premier creator, manufacturer, and distributor of some of the most innovative and quite frankly, coolest technology that is available. From the release of the iPod and Intel-based Mac to the more recent iPad and iPhone, the company has literally driven innovation in the industry. They have also done so in a manner befitting the original high standard that Steve Jobs instilled in the company from its inception. One must view the Apple commanded by Jobs as one that does not fit the M.O. of a typical PC manufacturer. As such, comparing the company to Dell, Hewlett-Packard, or even Microsoft is not necessarily a fair or justified comparison. Yes, the market share held by Apple in the PC market is undeniably small, yet this is not unexpected for a company who produces products aimed at such a specific niche in the market; too often are illogical parallels drawn between Microsoft and Apple. Microsoft may hold the dominant share of the PC industry, yet they are primarily a PC manufacturer. Attempting to quantify Apple under the same terminology becomes increasingly more difficult and unreasonable with each product release by Apple. To me it seems that Apple is positioned in the best possible place for the company: the one that they created. Apple does make products that overlap into markets inhabited by other companies, yet these other companies are not Apple,