APPLE

INTRODUCTION:
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.
The company operates more than 250 retail stores in nine countries, and
an online store where hardware and software products are sold.
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 ongoing expansion into the consumer
electronics market in addition to its traditional focus on personal
computers.Apple has 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.Fortune magazine named
Apple the most admired company in the United States in 2008 and in
the world in 2009.

BRIEF INTRODUCTION:
>Type :Public (NASDAQ: AAPL, LSE: 0HDZ, FWB: APC)

>Founded :Cupertino, California, United States (April 1, 1976)as Apple

Computer, Inc.

>Founder(s) :Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, Ronald Wayne

>Headquarters : Infinite Loop, Cupertino, California, USA

>Number of

>Locations : 251 (Q1 FY 2009)

>Area serve : Worldwide; United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Japan,

Australia, INDIA ,Italy,germany and china.

>Key people :Steve Jobs (CEO, Chairman, and co-founder)

Tim Cook (COO) Peter Oppenheimer (CFO)

Phil Schiller (SVP Marketing)

Jonathan Ive (SVP Industrial Design)

Mark Papermaster (SVP Device Engineering)

Ron Johnson (SVP Retail)

Sina Tamaddon (SVP Applications)

Bertrand Serlet (SVP Software Engineering)

Scott Forstall (SVP iPhone Software)

>Industry : Computer hardware,

Computer software,

Consumer electronics,

Digital distribution.

>Products :Mac (Pro, Mini · iMac · MacBook, Air, Pro · Xserve)

iPhone, iPod (Shuffle, Nan, Classic, Touch) Apple TV, Cinema

Display, AirPort,
 Time Capsule Mac OS X (Server · iPhone OS), iLife, iWork

>Services :Stores (retail, online, iTunes, App), MobileMe

>Revenue :▲US$32.48 billion[4] (FY 2008)

>Operating

income :▲$ 6.28 billion[4] (FY 2008, 19.32% operating margin)

>Net income :▲$ 4.83 billion[4] (FY 2008, 14.88% profit margin)

>AUM :▲$24.49 billion[4] (FY 2008, 1.74 quick ratio)

>Total assets :▲$39.57 billion[4] (FY 2008, 12.21% ROA)

>Total equity :▲$21.03 billion[4] (FY 2008, 22.97% ROE)

>Employees :35,000[3] (Q1 FY 2009)

>Website :Apple.com

FOUNDER’S INTRODUCTION:
The founder’s of Apple inc, are Steve Jobs,Steve Wozniak, Ronald
Wayne.

Steve jobs:
Steven Paul "Steve" Jobs (born February 24, 1955) is
an American businessman, and the co-founder and chief executive
officer of Apple Inc.Jobs previously served as CEO of Pixar Animation
Studios.
In the late 1970s, Jobs, with Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak,
created one of the first commercially successful personal computers. In
the early 1980s, Jobs was among the first to see the commercial potential
of the mouse-driven graphical user interface.After losing a power struggle
with the board of directors in 1985, Jobs resigned from Apple and
founded NeXT, a computer platform development company specializing in
the higher education and business markets. NeXT's subsequent
1997 buyout by Apple Computer Inc. brought Jobs back to the company
he co-founded, and he has served as its CEO since then. Steve Jobs was
listed as Fortune Magazine's Most Powerful Businessman of 2007. In 2009
he is ranked #57 on Forbes:The World's Most Powerful People.
In 1986, he acquired the computer graphics division of Lucasfilm
Ltd which was spun off as Pixar Animation Studios.He remained CEO and
majority shareholder until its acquisition by the Walt Disney Company in
2006.Jobs is currently a member of Walt Disney Company's Board of
Directors.
Jobs' history in business has contributed greatly to the myths of the
idiosyncratic, individualistic Silicon Valley entrepreneur, emphasizing the
importance of design and understanding the crucial role aesthetics play in
public appeal. His work driving forward the development of products that
are both functional and elegant has earned him a devoted following.
In mid-January 2009, Jobs took a 5 month leave of absence from
Apple to undergo a liver transplant.

Steve jobs, Management style:

Much has been made of Jobs' aggressive and demanding

personality. Fortune noted that he "is considered one of Silicon Valley's
leading egomaniacs."Commentaries on his temperamental style can be
found in Mike Moritz's The Little Kingdom, one of the few authorized
biographies of Jobs; Jeffrey S. Young's unauthorized Steve Jobs: The
Journey Is the Reward; The Second Coming of Steve Jobs, by Alan
Deutschman; and iCon: Steve Jobs, by Jeffrey S. Young & William L.
Simon.
 Jef Raskin, a former colleague, once said that Jobs "would have
made an excellent king of France," alluding to Jobs' compelling and
larger-than-life persona.
Jobs has always aspired to position Apple and its products at the
forefront of the information technology industry by foreseeing and setting
trends, at least in terms of innovation and style. He summed up that self-
concept at the end of his keynote speech at the Macworld Conference
and Expo in January 2007 by quoting ice hockey legend Wayne Gretzky:

“ There's an old Wayne Gretzky quote that I love. 'I skate to where
the puck is going to be, not where it has been.' And we've always
tried to do that at Apple. Since the very very beginning. And we
always will." ”

—Steve Jobs

Steve Wozniak:

Stephen Gary "Woz" Wozniak (born August 11, 1950 in San

Jose, California) is an American computer engineer who founded Apple
Computer, Inc. (now Apple Inc.) with Steve Jobs and Ronald Wayne. His
inventions and machines are credited with contributing significantly to
the personal computer revolution of the 1970s. Wozniak created
the Apple I and Apple II computers in the mid-1970s. The Apple II gained
much popularity, eventually becoming one of the best selling personal
computers of the 1970s and early 1980s.
 Wozniak has several nicknames, including "The Woz", "Wonderful
Wizard of Woz" and "iWoz" (a reference to the ubiquitous naming scheme
for Apple products). "WoZ" (short for "Wheels of Zeus") is also the name
of a company Wozniak founded. He is sometimes known as the "Other
Steve" of Apple Computer, the better known Steve being co-
founder Steve Jobs. He is of Polish descent.
Ronald Gerald Wayne:
Ronald Gerald Wayne (born 1934) is often referred to as the "third
founder" of Apple Computer (in addition to Steve Jobs and Steve
Wozniak). He drew the first Apple logo and wrote the Apple I manual.
While at Apple, he also wrote their partnership agreement.

Wayne worked with Jobs at Atari before co-founding Apple Computer

on April 1, 1976. He was given a 10% stake in Apple, but relinquished his
stock for $800 only two weeks later because legally all members of a
partnership are personally responsible for any debts incurred by any of
the other partners.
Later that same year, venture capitalist Mike Markkula helped
develop a business plan and convert the partnership to a corporation. In
its first year of operations (1976), Apple's sales reached US$174,000. In
1977 sales rose to US$2.7 million, in 1978 to US$7.8 million and in 1980
to US$117 million. By 1982 Apple had a billion dollars in annual sales;
Wayne's stake could have been worth as much as US$1.5 billion. He
claimed that he didn't regret selling the stock as he had made "the best
decision available at that time."
According to CNET, as of 1997 Wayne was working as an engineer
for a defense contractor in Salinas, California.
CURRENT PRODUCTS:
MAC and ACCESSOIRES
 Mac mini, consumer sub-desktop computer and server introduced in
January 2005.
 iMac, consumer all-in-one desktop computer that was first introduced
by Apple in 1998. Its popularity helped revive the company's fortunes.
 Mac Pro, workstation-class desktop computer introduced in August
2006. It replaced the Power Macintosh.
 MacBook, consumer notebook introduced in 2006. It replaced the
iBook.
 MacBook Air, ultra-thin, ultra-portable notebook, introduced in January
2008.
 MacBook Pro, professional portable computer alternative to the
MacBook, available in 13, 15, and 17 inch variants, introduced in
January 2006. It replaced the PowerBook.
Apple sells a variety of computer accessories for Mac computers
including the AirPort wireless networking products, Time Capsule, Cinema
Display, Magic Mouse, the Apple Wireless Keyboard computer keyboard,
and the Apple USB Modem.

iPOD:
On October 23, 2001, Apple introduced the iPod digital music player.
It has evolved to include various models targeting the wants of different
users. The iPod is the market leader in portable music players by a
significant margin, with more than 220 million units shipped as of
September 9, 2009.Apple has partnered with Nike to offer
the Nike+iPod Sports Kit enabling runners to synchronize and monitor
their runs with iTunes and the Nike+ website. Apple currently sells four
variants of the iPod.
 iPod Classic (previously named iPod from 2001 to 2007), portable
media player first introduced in 2001, currently available in a 160 GB
model.
 iPod Nano, portable media player first introduced in 2005, currently
available in 8 and 16 GB models. The newest generation has a
640x480 video camera (H.264, 30FPS) and a FM tuner with live pause
and iTunes Tagging.
 iPod Shuffle, digital audio player first introduced in 2005, currently
available in 2 and 4 GB models.
 iPod Touch, portable media player first introduced in September 2007.
Currently available in 8, 32, and 64GB models. The 32 and 64GB Gen 3
models feature a faster processor and include voice control and an
external microphone

iPHONE:
At the Macworld Conference & Expo in January 2007, Steve Jobs
revealed the long anticipated iPhone, a convergence of an Internet-
enabled smartphone and iPod.The original iPhone combined a 2.5G quad
band GSM and EDGE cellular phone with features found in hand held
devices, running a scaled-down versions of Apple's Mac OS X
(dubbed iPhone OS), with various Mac OS X applications such
as Safari and Mail. It also includes web-based and Dashboard apps such
as Google Maps and Weather. The iPhone features a 3.5-inch (89 mm)
touch screen display, 4, 8, or 16 GB of memory, Bluetooth, and Wi-
Fi (both "b" and "g").The iPhone first became available on June 29, 2007
for $499 (4 GB) and $599 (8 GB) with an AT&T contract.On February 5,
2008, Apple updated the original iPhone to have 16 GB of memory, in
addition to the 8 GB and 4 GB models. On June 9, 2008, at WWDC 2008,
Steve Jobs announced that the iPhone 3G would be available on July 11,
2008.This version added support for 3G networking, assisted-
GPS navigation, and a price cut to $199 for the 8 GB version, and $299
for the 16 GB version, which was available in both black and white. The
new version was visually different from its predecessor in that it
eliminated the flat silver back, and large antenna square for a curved
glossy black or white back. Following complaints from many people, the
headphone jack was changed from a recessed jack to a flush jack to be
compatible with more styles of headphones. The software capabilities
changed as well, with the release of the new iPhone came the release of
Apple's App Store; the store provided applications for download that were
compatible with the iPhone. On April 24, 2009, the App Store surpassed
one billion downloads.On June 8, 2009, at Apple's annual worldwide
developers conference, the iPhone 3GS was announced, providing an
incremental update to the device including faster internal components,
support for faster 3G speeds, video recording capability, and voice
control.
 iPhone 3G, currently available in an 8 GB model.
 iPhone 3GS, currently available in 16 and 32 GB models.

Apple TV:
 At the 2007 Macworld conference, Jobs demonstrated the Apple TV,
(previously known as the iTV),a set-top video device intended to bridge
the sale of content from iTunes with high-definition televisions. The
device links up to a user's TV and syncs, either via Wi-Fi or a wired
network, with one computer's iTunes library and streams from an
additional four. The Apple TV originally incorporated a 40 GB hard drive
for storage, includes outputs for HDMI and component video, and plays
video at a maximum resolution of 720p. On May 31, 2007 a 160 GB drive
was released alongside the existing 40 GB model and on January 15,
2008 a software update was released, which allowed media to be
purchased directly from the Apple TV. In September 2009, Apple
discontinued the original 40GB Apple TV and now continues to produce
and sell the 160GB Apple TV.

SOFTWARE:
Apple develops its own operating system to run on Macs, Mac OS X,
the latest version being Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard. Apple also
independently develops computer software titles for its Mac OS X
operating system. Much of the software Apple develops is bundled with
its computers. An example of this is the consumer-oriented iLife software
package that bundlesiDVD, iMovie, iPhoto, iTunes, GarageBand,
and iWeb. For presentation, page layout and word processing, iWork is
available, which includes Keynote, Pages, and Numbers.
iTunes,QuickTime media player, Safari web browser, and Software
Update are available as free downloads for both Mac OS X and Windows.
Apple also offers a range of professional software titles. Their range
of server software includes the operating system Mac OS X Server; Apple
Remote Desktop, a remote systems management
application; WebObjects, Java EE Web application server; and Xsan,
a Storage Area Network file system. For the professional creative market,
there is Aperture for professional RAW-format photo processing; Final Cut
Studio, a video production suite; Logic, a comprehensive music toolkit
and Shake, an advanced effects composition program.
Apple also offers online services with MobileMe (formerly .Mac) that
bundles personal web pages, email, Groups, iDisk, backup, iSync, and
Learning Center online tutorials. MobileMe is a subscription-based
internet suite that capitalizes on the ability to store personal data on an
online server and thereby keep all web-connected devices in
sync. Announced at MacWorld Expo 2009, iWork.com allows iWork users
to upload documents for sharing and collaboration.
LIST OF PRODUCT DISCONTINUED BY APPLE INC:
The following is a list of Apple Inc. (formerly known as Apple
Computer Inc.) software and hardware products that were superseded by
improved versions, or discontinued, and are no longer manufactured. The
first Apple product to be discontinued was the Apple I in 1977,
superseded by the Apple II. The most recently discontinued products have
been several iPod models including the iPod mini, replaced by the iPod
nano. This list includes summarized descriptions and images of almost
every known discontinued Apple product, including computer systems,
software products, peripherals, iPods, Newtons, and miscellaneous
products.
On September 1, 1998, Apple Computer published its first list
abruptly dropping support for much of its discontinued product lines to
date. Service providers were given little notice to stock up on existing
parts inventory before Apple removed them from their databases.
Currently Apple classifies discontinued products in three
categories: Vintage, Obsolete or Legacy, based on the level of support
they continue to provide. Apple's current hardware support policy
provides for service and repair of products for up to 5 years following
their discontinuation,except only in California, USA (as required by
statute),where products are guaranteed service for up to 7 years after
being discontinued. Products which fall into this additional two year
window are referred to as Vintage. Products which have been
discontinued for more than 7 years are considered Obsolete and no
service of any kind is offered, nor parts obtainable from Apple.
In 1997 Apple made changes to its technical support policy that
resulted in a class action lawsuit. Essentially, Apple guaranteed free
unlimited telephone support as long as an original customer owned
certain Apple products purchased between 1993 and 1996. Apple
subsequently dropped this support. However, the resulting settlement
restored this phone based service as advertised, for all Legacy products.
While hardware service is no longer available on any of
these Obsolete models, free technical support is offered. Legacy models
are indicated with an asterisk (*)

TIME LINE OF APPLE PRODUCTS:

*Products on this timeline indicate introduction dates only and not
necessarily discontinued dates, as new products begin on a
contiguous product line.

CURRENT AFFAIRS:
Apple has a history of vertical integration in their products,
manufacturing the hardware on which they pre-install their software.
During the Mac's early history Apple generally refused to adopt
prevailing industry standards for hardware, instead creating their
own. This trend was largely reversed in the late 1990s beginning with
Apple's adoption of the PCI bus in the 7500/8500/9500 PowerMacs.
Apple has since adopted USB, AGP, HyperTransport, Wi-Fi, and other
industry standards in its computers and was in some cases a leader in the
adoption of standards such as USB. FireWire is an Apple-originated
standard that has seen widespread industry adoption after it was
standardized as IEEE 1394.
Ever since the first Apple Store opened, Apple has sold third party
accessories.This allows, for instance, Nikon and Canon to sell their Mac-
compatible digital cameras and camcorders inside the store. Adobe, one
of Apple's oldest software partners,also sells its Mac-compatible software,
as does Microsoft, who sells Microsoft Office for the Mac. Books from John
Wiley & Sons, who publishes the For Dummies series of instructional
books, are a notable exception, however. The publisher's line of books
were banned from Apple Stores in 2005 because Steve Jobs disagreed
with their editorial policy.

HEADQUATERS:
Apple Inc.'s world corporate headquarters are located in the middle
of Silicon Valley, at 1 Infinite Loop, Cupertino, California. This Apple
campus has six buildings that total 850,000 square feet (79,000 m2) and
was built in 1993 by Sobrato Development Cos.
In 2006, Apple announced its intention to build a second campus on
50 acres (200,000 m2) assembled from various contiguous plots. The new
campus, also in Cupertino, will be about 1 mile (1.6 km) east of the
current campus.
CEO’S:
 1977–1981: Michael "Scotty" Scott
 1981–1983: A. C. "Mike" Markkula
 1983–1993: John Sculley
 1993–1996: Michael Spindler
 1996–1997: Gil Amelio
 1997-present: Steve Jobs (Interim CEO 1997–2000)
 2004 & 2009: Tim Cook (Acting CEO during Steve Jobs health issues)
DIRECTORS:
 Bill Campbell, Chairman of Intuit Inc.
 Millard Drexler, Chairman and CEO of J.Crew
 Al Gore, Former Vice President of the United States
 Steve Jobs, CEO and Co-founder of Apple; also a director of The Walt
Disney Company
 Andrea Jung, Chairman and CEO of Avon Products
 Arthur D. Levinson, Chairman and CEO of Genentech
 Jerry York, Chairman, President, and CEO of Harwinton Capital
EXECUTIVES:
 Steve Jobs, Chief Executive Officer
 Timothy D. Cook, Chief Operating Officer
 Peter Oppenheimer, Chief Financial Officer
 Philip W. Schiller, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Product Marketing
 Mark Papermaster, Senior Vice President of Devices Hardware
Engineering
 Jonathan Ive, Senior Vice President of Industrial Design
 Bertrand Serlet, Senior Vice President of Software Engineering
 Ron Johnson, Senior Vice President of Retail
 Sina Tamaddon, Senior Vice President of Applications
 Scott Forstall, Senior Vice President of iPhone Software
 Bob Mansfield, Senior Vice President Mac Hardware
 Daniel Cooperman, General Counsel and Secretary

EMPLOYEES:
Since formation of the Apple Computer Company in 1977, it (as
Apple Computer, Inc.) has employed over 75,000 people worldwide. The
majority of Apple's employees have been located in the United States but
Apple has substantial manufacturing, sales, marketing, and support
organizations worldwide, with some engineering operations in Paris and
Tokyo.
Apple employees include employees of companies acquired by
Apple as well as subsidiaries such as FileMaker Inc. and Braeburn Capital.
LOGO’S
Apple’s first logo, designed by Jobs and Wayne, depicts Sir Isaac
Newton sitting under an apple tree. Almost immediately, though, this was
replaced by Rob Janoff’s “rainbow Apple”, the now-familiar rainbow-
colored silhouette of an apple with a bite taken out of it. Janoff presented
Jobs with several different monochromatic themes for the "bitten" logo,
and Jobs immediately took a liking to it. While Jobs liked the logo, he
insisted it be in color, as a way to humanize the company.
The original hand drawn logo features Sir Isaac Newton, and one
theory states that the symbol refers to his discoveries of gravity (the
apple) and the separation of light by prisms (the colors). Another
explanation exists that the bitten apple pays homage to the
mathematician Alan Turing, who committed suicide by eating an apple he
had laced with cyanide. Turing is regarded as one of the fathers of the
computer. The rainbow colors of the logo were rumored to be a reference
to the rainbow flag, as a homage to Turing's homosexuality.
However, Rob Janoff stated in an interview that the alternate
theories are all wonderful urban legends, but, unfortunately, "B.S." The
Apple logo was designed with a bite for scale, so that people would
recognise that it was an apple, not a cherry, and the rainbow color was
not a coded reference to homosexuality or prism light, but was conceived
to make the logo more accessible and represent the fact the monitor
could reproduce images in color.
In 1998, with the roll-out of the new iMac, Apple discontinued the
rainbow theme — supposedly at the insistence of recently returned
Jobs — and began to use monochromatic themes, nearly identical in
shape to its previous rainbow incarnation. However, no specific color is
prescribed throughout Apple's software and hardware line. The logo's
shape is one of the most recognized brand symbols in the world,
identifies all Apple products and retail stores (the text "Apple" is not even
present) and has been included as stickers in nearly all Macintosh and
iPod packages through the years.

SLOGAN’S:

Apple's first slogan, "Byte into an Apple", was coined in the late
1970s.From 1997–2002, Apple used the slogan Think
Different in advertising campaigns. The slogan had a lasting impact on
their image and revived their popularity with the media and customers.
Although the slogan has been retired, it is still closely associated with
Apple. Apple also has slogans for specific product lines — for example,
"iThink, therefore iMac", was used in 1998 to promote the iMac, and "Say
hello to iPhone" has been used in iPhone advertisements."Hello" was also
used to introduce the original Macintosh, Newton, iMac ("hello (again)"),
and iPod.

CRITICISM:
Apple has been criticized from both user and developer perspectives
over disabling Google Voice from their online store for iPhone, pressuring
journalists to reveal their sources regarding future Apple products,
restrictive and long wait in approving or disapproving third party iPhone
software, disabling iTunes syncing with third-party devices like Palm Pre,
and the iPhone's US exclusivity with AT&T, along with questions and
concerns about other app rejections and the general approval process for
the iPhone's App Store. Philip W. Schiller, senior vice president of Apple's
Worldwide Product Marketing, has tried to address many of the App Store
concerns by sending letters to the respective developers..

SOURCES:
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc.
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Apple_Inc._executives

http://www.labnol.org/gadgets/computers/apple-india-online-store-
prices/3870/