Apple Inc

Assignment #1: Company Background

1. FIRM NAME: Apple Inc.

2. HEADQUARTER LOCATION:
1 Infinite Loop
CUPERTINO, CA 95014
United States
Phone: +1-408-996-1010 Fax: +1-408-996-0275
Website: http://www.apple.com

KEY EXECUTIVES

Name | Since | Current Position | Arthur Levinson | 2011 | Independent Chairman of the Board | Timothy Cook | 2011 | Chief Executive Officer, Director | Peter Oppenheimer | 2012 | Chief Financial Officer, Principal Financial Officer, Senior Vice President, Principal Accounting Officer | D. Bruce Sewell | 2009 | Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Secretary | Philip Schiller | 1997 | Senior Vice President - Worldwide Marketing | Eduardo Cue | 2011 | Senior Vice President - Internet Software and Services | Craig Federighi | 2012 | Senior Vice President - Software Engineering | Robert Mansfield | 2013 | Senior Vice President - Technologies | Daniel Riccio | 2012 | Senior Vice President - Hardware Engineering | Jeffrey Williams | 2010 | Senior Vice President - Operations | William Campbell | 1997 | Independent Director | Millard Drexler | 1999 | Independent Director | Albert Gore | 2003 | Independent Director | Robert Iger | 2011 | Independent Director | Andrea Jung | 2011 | Independent Director | Ronald Sugar | 2010 | Independent Director |

3. KEY PRODUCTS & SERVICES:

Apple designs, manufactures, and sells different assortments of professional electronic communication devices, digital music players, computer software and personal computers, as well as support and maintenance services.

Products:
The firm’s world-renowned hardware products are their iPhone smartphone, its newest collection in the list, the iPad tablet, Mac line of computers and laptops, and a collection of iPod music and media player.

Its consumer software includes mobile operating system iOS and OS X operating systems. Application softwares such as iTunes media browser, Mac Application Software, and iCloud. It also features iLife and iWork creativity and production suites.

Apple also sells other application software such as Final Cut Pro, Logic Studio, Logic Pro, and its FileMaker Pro database software. They also produce Apple TV, which enables their customers to stream videos and movies on their television.

Additional Apple-branded and third party Mac-compatible peripheral products include their printers, storage devices, computer memory, digital video and still cameras.

Services:
Apple provides service and support offering to the customers and the maintenance of any malfunctioning or broken Apple products following its terms and conditions. In addition, Apple facilitates the shipping of products bought online by the customers.

4. FORMS OF BUSINESS OWNERSHIP: Corporation

5. KEY CUSTOMERS:

The company sells its products to consumers; small and mid-sized businesses; and education, enterprise, and government customers through its retail stores, online stores, and direct sales force, as well as through third-party cellular network carriers, wholesalers, retailers, and value-added resellers. It also sells and delivers digital content and applications through the iTunes Store, App Store, iBookstore, and Mac App Store.

Consumers and Small and Mid-Sized Business: The Company sells its products and resells third-party products in most of its major markets directly to consumers and SMBs through its retail and online stores.

Third-party resellers: The Company sells its products through third-party cellular network carriers such as Verizon or AT&T; and wholesalers, retailers, and value-added resellers such us Best Buy, Target, Wal-Mart or Radio Shack between others.

Education: The Company is committed to delivering solutions to help educators teach and students learn and has designed a range of products, services and programs to address the needs of education customers. The Company also supports mobile learning and real-time distribution of, and access to, education related materials through iTunes U®, a platform that allows students and teachers to share and distribute educational media online. 2

Enterprise and Government: The Company also sells its hardware and software products to enterprise and government customers in each of its geographic segments. The Company’s products are compatible with thousands of third-party business applications and services, and its tools enable the development and secure deployment of custom applications as well as remote device administration. 2

6. KEY COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES

The markets for the Company’s products and services are highly competitive and the Company is confronted by aggressive competition in all areas of its business. Principal competitive factors important to the Company include product features, relative price/performance, product quality and reliability, design innovation, a strong third-party software and peripherals ecosystem, marketing and distribution capability, service and support, and corporate reputation. 2

Innovation and Integration: The Company offers innovation and integration of the entire solution including the hardware (iPhone, iPad, Mac, and iPod), software (iTunes), online services (iCloud), and distribution of digital content and applications (iTunes Store, App Store, iBookstore and Mac App Store). Some

Research and Development: The Company continues to develop new technologies to enhance existing products and to expand the range of its product offerings through research and development, licensing of intellectual property and acquisition of third-party businesses and technology.

Financial Stregth:

Brand Name: The company was incorporated on January 3, 1977.

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[ 1 ]. http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=AAPL
[ 2 ]. Form 10-K. Annual report. Apple Inc.