https://www.vault.

com/company-profiles/computer-hardware/apple-inc
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc.
https://in.reuters.com/finance/stocks/overview/AAPL.O
http://apple1inc.blogspot.com/2009/09/introduction.html

BRANDS PROFILE

Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs and manufactures

consumer electronics and computer software products. The company's best-known
hardware products include Macintosh computers, the iPod and the iPhone. Apple
software includes the Mac OS X operating system, the iTunes media browser, the
iLife suite of multimedia and creativity software, the iWork suite of productivity
software, Final Cut Studio, a suite of professional audio and film-industry
software products, and Logic Studio, a suite of audio tools.

Established in Cupertino, California on April 1, 1976 and incorporated January 3,

1977,the company was called Apple Computer, Inc. for its first 30 years, but
dropped the word "Computer" on January 9, 2007 to reflect the company's expansion
into the consumer electronics market in addition to its traditional focus on
personal computers. It started with its introduction of the portable media players,
famous of which are the iPods and then eventually they were able to introduce
smartphone, iPhone and AppleTV digital video systems. Apple had about 35,000
employees worldwide and had worldwide annual sales of US$32.48 billion in its
fiscal year ending September 29, 2008.For reasons as various as its philosophy of
comprehensive aesthetic design to its distinctive advertising campaigns, Apple has
established a unique reputation in the consumer electronics industry. This includes
a customer base that is devoted to the company and its brand, particularly in the
United States. Apple was ranked No. 4 on the 2018 Fortune 500 rankings of the
largest United States corporations by total revenue of 265,595 mill USD with total
employees of 132,000 around the world.

The Company sells and delivers digital content and applications through the iTunes
Store, App Store, Mac App Store, television APP Store, iBooks Store and Apple Music
(collectively Internet Services). The Company sells its products through its retail
stores, online stores and direct sales force through third-party cellular network
carriers, wholesalers, retailers and value-added resellers. The Company sells a
range of third-party Apple compatible products, including application software and
accessories through its retail and online stores. The Company sells to consumers,
small and mid-sized businesses and education, enterprise and government
customers.The company has more than 500 Apple retail stores in the US and some two
dozen countries. Australia, China, Canada, and the UK are among the company�s
largest retail store markets outside the US.

Apple Pay is the Company's mobile payment service available in certain countries
that offers a private way to pay.
Apple Pay allows users to pay for purchases in stores accepting contactless
payments and to pay for purchases within participating applications on qualifying
devices. Apple Pay accepts credit and debit cards across major card networks and
also supports reward programs and store-issued credit and debit cards. The Company
sells a variety of Apple-branded and third-party Mac-compatible and iOS-compatible
accessories, including Apple TV, Apple Watch, Beats products, iPod, headphones,
displays, storage devices, and various other connectivity and computing products
and supplies. The Company offers AirPods, new wireless headphones that interact
with Siri.
TARGET CUSTOMER PROFILE

STP- https://research-methodology.net/apple-segmentation-targeting-and-positioning/

Who Are the Best Customers for Apple?

54% of consumers who purchase an iPhone say that their last phone was also an
iPhone.
1 in 4 people say that they�ve purchased Apple products because their friends also
had an Apple product.
For people who have purchased multiple Apple products in the past five years, less
than 30% say that the iPhone is the best phone on the market today.
Just 0.3% of people in a recent survey stated that the interface created by Apple
is the reason why they prefer the brand�s products.
The average household income for Mac owners is $98,500.
2 out of every 5 Mac owners is younger than 34.
Apple is a premium brand that is associated with a premium income level. It�s a
brand that everyone may want, but not everyone can afford. For this reason, the
best customers for Apple tend to be younger and wealthier, so Millennials tend to
be the next preferred targeted demographic after teenagers. Millennials are hooked
into technology like no other generation, exploit the benefits Apple can provide,
and this leads to more wealth for them and more sales for Apple

For Apple, the market segmentation and target are clearly defined as

Age group: 22 � 55
Gender: Male and Female
Income: Being an affluent brand, Apple targets medium to high-income individuals
Lifestyle: Income becomes synonymous with lifestyle and since Apple has medium to
high-income individuals as segments, the lifestyle they target is to Modern, young,
open to change etc.
Behavior: Hardcore loyalists � Once an Apple user, always an apple user!. These
customer groups become very loyal to a brand and hardly change their brand.

Vision
mission
retail mix n strategy
scale n size of operations

no of days n hours
training period
mentorship programme- on the floor training- feedback
compensation plan

Apple is very successful with their marketing techniques. According to Technology

news, it is believed that Apple�s strongest competitive advantage is its marketing
strategy: �The Company simply seems to understand what will get people excited
about its products, and then it executes on that vision� (Enderle, 2004). Instead
of talking about product features or technology, Apple is showing that they care
about their consumers� lifestyles.
Apple does not just sell products in its stores, rather it provides a first class
retail experience that delights shoppers and visitors alike.

Instead of trying to get the customer to learn what an iPod does, Apple instead
shows them how they will feel using an iPod.
Apple focuses on empowering its customers by instead of trying to tightly control
the buying experience, Apple gladly relinquishes control to its customers.