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/