Week 14: Ch. 7 - Business Marketing

      Apple's Strategy for the Business Marketing is getting bigger and bigger every single day. Apple uses the idea of the marketing of goods and services to individuals and organizations for purposes other than personal consumption to compete across several highly competitive markets, including the personal computer industry with its Macintosh line of computers and related software, the consumer electronics industry with products such as the iPod, digital music distribution through its iTunes Music Store, the smart phone market with the Apple iPhone, and more recently magazine, book, games and applications publishing via the AppsStore for iPhone and the iPad tablet computing device. For marketers, the company is also establishing a very strong presence to rival Google in the advertising market, via its Apps. Steve Jobs, Apple's Founder and CEO, recently described Apple as a "mobile devices company”, the largest one in the world (Apple's revenues are bigger than Nokia, Samsung, or Sony's mobility business).

For several years Apple's product strategy involved creating innovative products and services aligned with a "digital hub" strategy, whereby Apple Macintosh computer products function as the digital hub for digital devices, especially the Apple iPhone “the phenomenon”, it’s a personal digital assistants, cellular phones, digital video and still cameras, and other electronic devices. More recently, the full impact of a very well through out brand strategy has come into focusing, and one in which customer experience is central.

Apple's core competence is delivering exceptional experience through superb user interfaces. The company's product strategy is based around this, with iTunes, the iPhone with it's touch screen "gestures" that are re-used on the iPad, and the Apple Apps store all playing key roles.

Week 13:Ch. 8-Segmenting and Targeting Markets

How Apple target the Consumers but not the Market

In each products Apple target Consumers and focusing on the users. They always let the consumers make decision how and where they will use their products. This is the main point help the Apple brand grow in worldwide. They are focusing on individuals and build unusual products for them, and let these individuals determine to their best ability make use of technology. 

Even though, most Apple products cost more than the other average electronic products, the quality of their products could last a lifetime. For example let’s take the latest iPhone 4 is almost two times expensive than Samsung or Blackberry’s phones but People always prefer the iPhone 4, because Apple has done some featuring we never heart about it in the others competitors companies as the Facetime calling, Retina display and the HD video record. Apple's segmentation strategy has made the company successful, extremely successful. They have been very mindful in how to sell their products and sold them at the correct prices. They create products for a particular user such as Students, Companies, Children and etc.

Week 12:Ch. 11 - Developing and Managing Products

You Can't Innovate Like Apple

When what you teach and develop every day has the title “Innovation” attached to it, you reach a point where you tire of hearing about Apple. Without question, nearly everyone believes the equation Apple = Innovation is a fundamental truth. Discover what makes them different. According to New York Times Magazines, when it comes to product management, Apple is clearly the “Most Admired,” the “Most Innovative," and the “Master at Design. Apple's senior vice president of industrial design won for the second time the 2009 National Design Award for product design. Apple is big on introducing their new products. When new products are released for consumers to buy, they definitely make huge sales just like the iPhone 4 and iPad 2. Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO, believes in using his unique strategy because he knows what people want. Apple's new product gives people what they want most, a lightning fast notebook. Apple leads when it expresses its vision through its products, exciting you and making you proud to own one of their products.

How Apple Integrated the Consumers to his Products

Week 11: Ch. 16 -Integrated Marketing Communications

Apple has the best selling techniques in the business, and one of these techniques is the promotional mix. It doesn't need much work. They let the consumer to make his own determination, by allowing them to have a hands experience on the product; it’s a plus for the company. More shoppers said that 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 is the most admired company in the United States in 2008, and in the world in 2008, 2009, and 2010, it's still a valuable strategy for promotion of products. According to New York Times Magazine it shows the Top 5 reasons why People buy Apple products. John Sculley told the Guardian newspaper in 1997 People talk about technology, but Apple was a marketing company. It was the marketing company of the decade; I feel that he gave the main point of Apple Company.

Week 10: Ch. 10 - Product Concepts

Apple was one of several highly successful companies founded in the 1970s that bucked the traditional notions of what a corporate culture should look like in organizational hierarchy. While this brand loyalty is considered unusual for any product, Apple appears not to have gone out of its way to create it. But the Simplicity of the iPhone attract more consumer to the product, for example the Video Calling, Video Recording, the art on the cover, his application, make life easier, With no words or no sell copy, this is what makes the consumer anxious and builds anticipation to get their hands on the product. Apple has an excellent way of products concepts; first of all the packaging; their products are beautiful, clean, and easy to access to any other Apple product. They know what the consumers expect. The product's controls and user interface are so natural that the consumer can quickly be familiar with it, and start using the product, that's why make Apple products on top of all others products in the market right now. 

Apple iPhone 5 release could be delayed

    After Apple announced the dates for its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), the focus has shifted to the old hobbyhorse of tech websites that iPhone 5 release date. And there is apparent consensus that iPhone 5 may not be launched in June as was expected generally.  Gadget market observers have taken cues from Apple's statement in which it made the WWDC announcement. "At this year’s conference we are going to unveil the future of iOS and Mac OS,” the statement quoted Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing, as saying. “If you are an iOS or Mac OS X software developer, this is the event that you do not want to miss”. Tech websites read meaning into Apple's focus on iOS to infer that Apple may not release iPhone 5 in June. The reason is that Apple has designed the WWDC event as a software show, not as a hardware show. The WWDC will be held from June 6 through June 10 at San Francisco’s Moscone West. The iPhone 5 will not be making an appearance at the event, we’re now hearing," MG Siegler of Tec crunch said. But there could be other reasons too. "The iPhone 5 launch may be delayed in order to give Apple enough time to iron out any issues with the iOS 5, which is gradually turning out to be one of the most important iOS since its launch back in 2006," writes ITProPortal.

Apple has been said to be working on a "completely re-designed" iPhone for debut in summer 2011 with a four-inch display to take on the larger screens found on some of the latest Smartphone’s running Google's Android operating system. The gadget market is abuzz with leaked images, specifications and features of the much-anticipated product.  The next generation iPhone is said to cost less and might feature a new integrated SIM card that would be easily configurable on any supported carrier, 9to5Mac had reported earlier. The iPhone 5 may also carry an upgraded A4 processor, already dubbed the A5 chip, in addition to a new Gobi WWAN chip already found in the Verizon iPhone, designed to work on both CDMA and GSM networks, it said other rumored iPhone 5 specifications include a multi-core A5 CPU powered with a dual-core graphics core and the addition of Near Field Communication (NFC) technology.

Week 9: Ch. 18 - Sales Promotion and Personal Selling

Apple is big sale is always going on at the begging of the semester, that offer great deal to student during the begging of School season, and that’s one of the biggest times of the year that Apple can make the most sales. Most student buy at least one of apple products such as iPod, iPhone, iPad, or a computer to study and help them with their school work. Apple has the hottest and coolest products out there. At the end of 2009 Apple promotes selling the MacBooks by offering a student discount and with the purchase of the computer comes with a brand new iPod Touch. This strategy keeps the consumers loyal to Apple and also satisfied to have a cool gift with purchase.

Apple has a strong strategies that they knew how to satisfy their consumers by giving free course to show you how you can be familiar with their product and using them, and offering Applecare, (fix or replace the products). Making sure the consumers stay happy and satisfied with their products, Apple has great offers that keep them coming back. The iPhone 4, which recently hit the market in late June 2010, Apple decided to make this phone twice as better than the previous iPhone's and more affordable to the consumer. Due to the complications and technical issues, it caused the consumers to become very upset with the qualities they were looking for in the phone, they give free iPhone cases to reduce the difficulties. Recently when the iPad 2 was coming out Apple announced that the first customer that will be on line at the store of 5 avenue would receive $900 and iPad 2. Apple has unique way to sale his products.

Week 8: Chap:17. Advertising and Public Relations

   Apple advertises their products all over. For the iPhone, they advertised in their own website of apple, in Newspapers, on radio, television, the Internet, in magazines, etc. Apple has proved great regulation when advertising their products. They know they don’t have to try and sell more their products on the desktops of Mac's, iPods, on iTunes, or iPhones to their highest bidders. The company understands the main reason is to provide the users experience that the customers would love.

    iPhone is one of the fast rising breakthrough products for mobile advertising. As more people use the iPhone for more things, there are going to be much more ads to make consumers life easier.

AT&T to buy T-Mobile USA for $39 billion

NEW YORK : AT&T stunned the telecom world on Sunday by announcing that it has agreed to pay $39 billion in cash and stock for T-Mobile USA. Potentially making AT&T the No. 1 wireless provider with 39% of the market.

• 
  By Tim Boyle, Getty Images
  AT&T plans to buy T-Mobile in a deal that would create an industry giant by combining the top wireless carriers.

Enlarge

AT&T plans to buy T-Mobile in a deal that would create an industry giant by combining the top wireless carriers.

AT&T says the combination would give it the airwave spectrum it needs to handle the soaring demand for mobile broadband services as consumers snap up smartphones and tablet computers such as Apple's iPad.

"We have seen over the last four years on our network alone mobile broadband traffic climb by 8,000%," AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson says. The company expects that demand to increase as much as 1,000% over the next five years.

As a result, Stephenson says, "We as a company have to think differently about how we address the demands that we're seeing." Many consumers blasted AT&T for tolerating dropped calls after 2007, when it was the exclusive service provider for Apple's popular iPhone.Verizon recently also began to offer the iPhone 4.

AT&T says that the deal with T-Mobile would increase its broadband capacity in some large cities by as much as 30%. T-Mobile, which is owned by Germany's Deutsche Telekom, uses the same basic phone service transmission technology that AT&T uses.

• STORY: New phones, services likely if AT&T deal OK'd

Consumer advocates, though, urged federal antitrust officials to block the deal. They warn that AT&T and Verizon could create a wireless duopoly, resulting in higher prices and fewer choices for customers. Verizon had 31.3% of mobile subscribers at the end of 2010, according to research firm ComScore. Sprint, which was widely reported to have been considering a merger with T-Mobile, has 11.9% of the market.

"There is nothing about having less competition that will benefit wireless consumers," says S. Derek Turner, research director of activist group Free Press.

AT&T says, though, that wireless prices have fallen over the last decade, even after the government approved mergers including AT&T with Cingular and Sprint with Nextel. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., urges the Justice Department and Federal Communications Commission to "leave no stone unturned in determining what the impact of this is on the American people."

But if AT&T and T-Mobile join forces, that could lead to a series of deals. Verizon likely would "reconsider a potential bid for Sprint," says Dan Hays of management consulting firm PRTM. And Sprint may "add to its heft with a roll-up of some combination of U.S. Cellular, Metro PCS or Leap Wireless International."

Week:7 Chapter.15 Retailing

When I Walked into the Apple Store at 59 street and 5 avenue is like taking on a new adventure into Planet of Electronic. The scene is bright and the atmosphere is very peaceful. All of their products are hands on and there is no limit to what you can do. From MacBooks, iPods, iPhones, iPads, even Apple TV, and I can say that’s a unique only Apple store offer to his consumer, with this manner Apple beats them all. The customer service is great and all employees show a great interest in the consumers concerns. Apple's promotion strategy shows that the company put a lot of planning and hard work into it because the sales and outcome of it all are magnificent. They pick the perfect locations for all of their stores which is usually a popular shopping area in NYC Upper West Side, Soho, 5th avenue, 14th St. and around the world Apple has 323 stores, US: 236,UK: 29,Canada: 19,Australia: 10,Japan: 7,France: 5, China: 4, Germany: 4, Italy: 4, Switzerland: 3,Spain: 2. Apple continues to stay on top of the market with all the new gadgets, as long as the consumer is happy, Apple is happy. 

From The CNNTech

Buying an iPad 2: What you need to know

By Christina Warren, Mashable March 8, 2011 7:35 a.m. EST | Filed under: Gaming & Gadgets

Unlike the white iPhone 4 debacle, Apple promises that white iPad 2 units will be available on launch day.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Apple's iPad 2 will become available for purchase on March 11 online and in stores
• With iPad 2, Apple is eschewing the pre-order game
• There are eighteen different iPad 2 units with varying GB sizes

RELATED TOPICS

• Apple Inc.
• Apple iPad

(Mashable) -- On Friday March 11, Apple's iPad 2 will become available for purchase online and in retail stores. Early trade-in activity surrounding the original iPad suggests that that the iPad 2 will be in high demand.

As with last year's original iPad and the iPhone 4, we anticipate crowds and long lines at various Apple retail stores across the United States. Are you interested in buying an iPad 2 this weekend? Here's what you need to know.

Online or in-store

With the original iPad and the iPhone 4, Apple allowed individuals to place pre-orders online or to reserve a device for in-store pickup. With iPad 2, Apple is eschewing the pre-order game.

Instead, the iPad 2 will be available via Apple.com at some point early Friday, and in retail stores starting at 5:00pm. Online reportsindicate that Apple.com sales will start at 12:01am PST on March 11, 2011. East coast buyers, set your clocks for 3am.

At Apple.com, users can choose between white or black variants in Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi + 3G. Users can select either Verizon or AT&T for their Wi-Fi + 3G unit.

Apple promises "fast, free shipping," which indicates they are using 2-day Fed Ex or UPS. Depending on when an order goes through, it's possible users could get units on Monday March 14, 2011.

We'll be realistic and expect that most users who place an order on Friday will receive their packages on Tuesday March 15, 2011. Like Caesar, you'll need to watch for the Ides of March.

Apple retail stores will begin selling the iPad 2 at 5:00pm. Typically, Apple shuts down its stores for a few hours prior to launch in order to get signage, inventory and staff in place.

Lines may start at some outdoor Apple stores as early as Friday morning (if not Thursday night), but indoor mall locations may start later, depending on mall policies and general shopping traffic.

Retail partners

In addition to the Apple retail stores, the iPad 2 will also be available at Best Buy, Target, Walmart and Sam's Club.

Verizon Wireless will also be selling the iPad 2 on Friday March 11, 2011. None of the retail launch partners have specified if sales will take place both in-store and online, but we expect that in-store sales will not begin until 5:00pm.

It isn't clear if AT&T will be carrying the iPad 2 at launch (we've reached out to them for comment), but 3G variants from both carriers should be available at retail partners like Walmart and Best Buy. Neither AT&T nor Verizon will be carrying the Wi-Fi only models.

Models, colors, carriers

There are eighteen different iPad 2 units: the nine listed below, available in either black or white.

-- iPad 2 16GB Wi-Fi: $499.00

-- iPad 2 32GB Wi-Fi: $599.00

-- iPad 2 64GB Wi-Fi: $699.00

-- iPad 2 16GB Wi-Fi+3G Verizon: $629.00

-- iPad 2 32GB Wi-Fi+3G Verizon: $729.00

-- iPad 2 64GB Wi-Fi+3G Verizon: $829.00

-- iPad 2 16GB Wi-Fi+3G AT&T: $629.00

-- iPad 2 32GB Wi-Fi+3G AT&T: $729.00

-- iPad 2 64GB Wi-Fi+3G AT&T: $829.00

Unlike the white iPhone 4 debacle, Apple promises that white iPad 2 units will be available on launch day. It's really anyone's guess as to the breakdown between color choices.

Apple retail stores will likely have the most white units in-stock, with retailers like Best Buy, Target and Walmart carrying mostly black units.

Tips from iLine veterans

Having covered -- and waited in -- numerous iLines in the past, these are my suggestions:

-- Best Buy, Target or Walmart stores near an Apple retail store are likely to be less crowded. Customers who want the fastest purchase experience should check the retail locations closest to the Apple Store.

-- If you have a color/size preference, order online. Waiting in line for a few hours only to find out that the model you want is out of stock is no fun. If you want a specific color/capacity, reduce your stress level and order online.

-- Plan for non-iPad 2 shoppers. Wireless stores get pretty busy on Friday nights even without the iPad 2 -- keep that in mind before heading to the local Verizon or AT&T store.

-- Avoid the Austin-area Apple stores. South By Southwestcoincides with the iPad 2 launch, meaning thousands of geeks will be in town and may descend on the store. Locals and visitors alike should steer clear. Just thinking about it makes me queasy.

-- Check Twitter, Facebook and Foursquare for line reports and information on how busy particular locations are.

-- Wait for Saturday. It isn't uncommon for stores like Best Buy and Walmart to get Friday deliveries. We imagine that at least some iPad 2 inventory will be delivered for the weekend, which means that Saturday mornings are a good time to try local stores -- and if you're brave -- the Apple Store.