"Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.

" ~ Jobs, Founder of

Apple

Organization- Apple Inc

Introduction
Apple was founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne on April
1, 1976, to develop and sell personal computers. It was incorporated as Apple
Computer, Inc. on January 3, 1977, and was renamed as Apple Inc. on January
9, 2007, to reflect its shifted focus towards consumer electronics. Apple Inc. is
an American multinational corporation headquartered in Cupertino, California,
that designs, develops, and sells consumer electronics, computer software,
online services, and personal computers. Its best-known hardware products are
the Mac line of computers, the iPod media player, the iPhone smartphone, and
the iPad tablet computer. Its online services include iCloud, iTunes Store,
and App Store. Apple's consumer software includes the OS X and iOS operating
systems, the iTunes media browser, the Safari web browser, and
the iLife and iWork creativity and productivity suites.

Growth
Apple Computer was predominantly a manufacturer of personal computers,
including the Apple II, Macintosh, and Power Maclines, but it faced rocky sales
and low market share during the 1990s. Jobs, who had been ousted from the
company in 1985, returned to Apple in 1996 after his company neXT was
bought by Apple.[3] The following year he became the company's interim CEO,
[4] which later became permanent.[5] Jobs subsequently instilled a new
corporate philosophy of recognizable products and simple design, starting with
the original iMac in 1998.
With the introduction of the successful iPod music player in 2001 and iTunes
Music Store in 2003, Apple established itself as a leader in the consumer
electronics and media sales industries, leading it to drop "Computer" from the

company's name in 2007. The company is now also known for its iOS range of
smart phone, media player, and tablet computer products that began with
the iPhone, followed by the iPod Touch and then iPad. As of 2012, Apple is
the largest publicly traded corporation in the world by market capitalization,
with an estimated value of US$626 billion as of September 2012. Apple Inc's
market cap is larger than that of Google and Microsoft combined. Apple's
worldwide annual revenue in 2010 totalled US$65 billion, growing to US$127.8
billion in 2011[10] and $156 billion in 2012.

TIMELINE OF APPLE INC PRODUCT

PRODUCT RANGE OF APPLE INC

Mac

iPad

iPod

iPhone

Apple TV

Apple Watch

Software

Apples New Product Strategy

Apple appears to be on a kick of delivering product refreshes to punctuate its
major release cycle, with changes to devices and tweaked versions that go
beyond what it has done in terms of spec refreshes in the past. It looks like we
could see a new era of light changes in direction to cater to market trends and
optimize product viability under Tim Cook, which in many ways makes sense
for a man known as a supply chain maestro.
New iPads, iMacs, MacBook And iPods
If you review all the mid-cycle changes Apple has made this year, you come up
with a pretty long list. Theres the Retina MacBook Pro and Air improvements it
made in February for instance, which included new processors, is not really all
that out of character; the company has been boosting internal specs on its Mac
line for years. But the 128GB fourth generation iPad, the iMac with VESA
mount, and the new 16GB iPod touch which lacks a rear camera are all big
changes to the way Apple generally operates those product cycles.

All of these updates arrived with little fanfare, at least when compared to the
lavish launch events Apple usually holds to trot out new hardware. At most
theyll get a press release, and in the case of some, like the iPod touch just
launched today, theyll simply update the online store. Press still flocks to these
changes, regardless, and its true that they arent often ground-breaking enough
to merit proper events, since theyd look paltry painted in that light. But the
changes are a sign of a new commitment to continuous improvement, and one
that seems like it could result in dramatic changes to how Apple views and
operates its product release cycle.
Optimization
Tim Cook used to be Apples COO, and in that role he essentially helped Apple
build one of the most effective and efficiently run supply chains in the history of
supply chains. That meant that Apple seldom had any inventory costing it
money by sitting around in warehouses, that incidences of error in the
manufacturing process were drastically reduced, and that improvements and
adaptations were made continually to help keep profit margins high. Likely
Cook is still directly responsible for a lot of continued optimization in that area,
but it makes sense that he would also bring those skills to bear on actual Apple
products themselves, instead of just on their manufacturing process.
The updates to the products mentioned above each constitute a specific
optimization. In the case of the iPad, the storage bump helps it keep pace with
other new-to-market devices including the Surface and better service education
and enterprise users; with the iMac, it addresses the one big failing pointed out
by reviewers of the iMac when comparing it to previous generations, and targets
again business users; and with the iPod touch, it fills a gap in the companys
line-up, simplifies supply chain and makes it easier for developers to optimize
their designs for screen sizes going forward.
Flex
The new approach to Apples products appears to reflect a greater flexibility;
thinks are more mutable than they were before Cook took the reins, if only just.
Theres still the question of keeping fair of angering early purchasers of
products, as someone who has bought an iPad four months prior doesnt want to

see a new model and regret their earlier decision, but for the most part, these
upgrades look like very specific tweaks designed to expand a potential
audience, not alienate an existing one. So long as that kind of precision
refreshing continues, I think Apple stands to gain a lot from this modified
approach to product development.

What will Apple do next?

I watch
iWatch represents the likely future of wearable technology - being able to send
and receive texts and emails, make calls and control music playlists through a
device worn on your wrist, rather than a physical extraneous phone or tablet.
Another probable function is that of fitness monitor in the vein of the FitBit and
Jawbone UP, further integrating the product into everyday routines. After all,
wearing something on your wrist is "natural", according to Cook.
The company has trademarked the term 'iWatch' globally, and extended its
brand trademark to cover watches and jewellery alongside its existing gadgets.

Apples Innovative Business Models

Apple is widely considered as the #1 innovative company in the world. The
companys innovation strategy involves terrific new products
and innovative business models.
3 Strategies of Market Leaders

Apple created many stylish innovative products that propelled the company to
the top of its industry. But the shift was not only a matter of product
innovation. Innovation lies also in Apples innovative business models new
ways to create, deliver, and capture value.
For instance, the iPod and iPhone would not have had nearly as much impact
if they hadn't been matched with iTunes and the App Store
respectively. Systemic innovation integration is at the heart of Apples
success.
Apple works across traditional industry boundaries to create a successful
innovation-friendly ecosystem. The company is in hardware, in software, in
entertainment, and in logistics, and have mastered parts of all those industries.
The App Store, for instance, the worlds largest collection of mobile
applications, offers hundreds of thousands ways to make iPhone even better.
iTunes, innovative software with a powerful business model, shows that
people would pay for music if the price is right and the interface is simple
enough.
Apples innovative value proposition The product as an experience
stimulated great ideas when company leaders were contemplating a new
business model. For instance, Apple pioneered into a new business space and
defined a workable business model for downloading music.
Another key driver of Apples financial success is growing adoption of Apple
products for business use. Saving time and minimizing frustration are the
essence of Apples brand promise. This value proposition converts PC and
Blackberry users to the Apple brand. Apple's innovation strategy also involves
great in-store service.
Customer Success 360
According to the Boston Consulting Group, a combination of product
innovation and business model innovation (BMI) put Apple at the center or a
market approximately 30 times larger than its original market. It also helped
expand the companys share of the traditional computer market, as new
customers became so attached to their iPods that they took another look at
Apple computers.