What Are the Chief Elements of Apple’s Overall Competitive Strategy?

1. What are the chief elements of Apple’s overall competitive strategy? How well do the pieces fit together? Is the strategy evolving? Apple has done an excellent job of developing a very distinct strategy through industry leading innovation. This strategy has allowed them to be the frontrunners in new product introductions and the improvement of existing products. Apple has employed a differentiation strategy in an attempt to meet the needs of a global market by offering customers innovative new products and improved existing products. An important part of their strategy involves meeting the needs of the evolving digital electronics and computer markets. Apple has chosen to implement its strategy by designing and developing its own operating systems and software technologies. This has allowed them to be very flexible in developing new products as they have complete control over the software and hardware. I believe Apple’s strategy is still evolving in an effort to keep up with evolving technology. Initially, Apple sole focus was on the computer industry as they were introducing innovative products. Apple continues to introduce innovative products in the computer industry, but recently has focused a great deal of strategic attention and resources on entering into the digital electronics and computer markets. This, along with the successful entry into the personal media player industry, marks a clear evolution in Apple’s strategy. Also, Apple’s entry into the tablet computer industry with its iPad and the mobile phone industry with its iPhone are evidence of a further evolving strategy.

2. What are the key elements of Apple’s strategy in computers, personal media players, and smartphones? Have its strategies in its core businesses yielded success? Explain. As mentioned above, Apple’s has implemented a differentiation strategy and utilized it to create a profitable business in the computer, personal media player, and smartphone arenas. I