Preview

Product Life Cycle Analysis for the Apple Ipod

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1805 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Product Life Cycle Analysis for the Apple Ipod
The alarm clock rings and its time to go for a jog and get the morning routine off to a good start. After my morning jog I take a shower while listening to my favorite high-energy-time-to-wake-up music. The weather channel says it is going to be a rainy morning, so I grab my umbrella and head for the door. During the car ride I toggle between the news and my French audio lessons. All of these events are done through the use of a little device that seems to be everywhere you look. For the past years we have seen how APPLE Computers Inc. has not only introduced the Ipod into the market for music players, but created the new must have pop icon. The following is a brief analysis of the product life cycle of iPods. iPods were first introduced to in 2001 and has since grown into a recognized cultural symbol. Designed and marketed by Apple Computer, iPod is a brand of digital audio/video players that stand apart from the rest due to their user friendly interface and sleek design. Customers can carry their entire music collection and more in their pockets. Although Apple Computer already had a huge following of loyal costumers, the iPod has created a new generation of Apple fanatics that simply cannot get enough of the iPod and all of the iPod attachments that have since developed.

THE GROWTH STAGE Currently the iPod finds itself in the growth stage of its product life cycle. It has shown a steady growth rate as demonstrated in the sales reported by Apple Computers for the past 15 quarters. The most recent quarters have shown a significant increase in the sales volume of iPods, a good indicator that the iPod market is expanding. It appears as though there is now definitely a public awareness of the Apple iPod worldwide. Competition is also quickly increasing as new players are being incorporated into the market. Some of the main competitors include Creative Technologies, Dell and Sony. All of which create similar players that incorporate design and functionality.



Cited: Apple Computer (September 7, 2005). Apple Teams Up with Acura, Audi, Honda & Volkswagen to Deliver Seamless iPod Experience. Press release. Retrieved on 2006-06-20. iPod. (2006, July 18). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 17:22, July 18, 2006, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=IPod&oldid=64435211. Digital audio player Markoff, J. (2006). Strategy Shift By Microsoft To Fight iPod. New York Times, 155(53633), C1-C2. Retrieved Sunday, July 16, 2006 from the Academic Search Premier Database Martin Peitz, and Patrick Waelbroeck Moon, Y. (2005). Break Free From the Product Life Cycle. Harvard Business Review, 83(5), 86-94. Retrieved Sunday July, 16, 2006 from the Business Source Premier database. Product life cycle management. (2006, July 18). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 18:35, July 17, 2006, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Product_life_cycle_management&oldid=64428852. Ramstad, Evan Smith, Tony.(2005). 2GB iPod Nano costs $100 to make. (2005, September 23). In The Register. Retrieved July 18, 2006 from http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/09/23/ipod_nano_desconstructed/ Suzanne Vranica

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    Mkt230 Unit 3 Assignment 2

    • 1276 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The history of the Apple iPod has been continuously changing over the years. The first generation 2001 iPod was presented with the marketing strategy of “1,000 songs in your pocket” but that changed quickly in 2002 as the software changed allowing the 2nd generation iPods to hold up to 4,000 songs (Apple Inc.). With the release of the iTunes Music Store and the introduction of the 3rd generation iPod which was smaller, lighter and help up to 7,500 songs Apple sold more than one million songs in the first week and saw it’s millionth iPod sold in 2003 (Apple Inc.). 2004 was…

    • 1276 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Three of Apple’s biggest successes are the iPod, iTunes, and iPhone. Introduced in 2001 the iPod offered consumers and easy interface to house up to 1000 “on the go” songs. For Apple, the iPod offered a monopoly type product with high margins. The iTunes application also rolled out in 2001 and offered users and easy interface to search and download music and movies. In 2002, Apple released the Windows version of iTunes instantly revolutionizing the music delivery market. To date Apple holds the number one spot for sales of MP3 players. The introduction of the iPhone combined the functionality of a cell phone, the iPod, Apple operating system and camera. Now users had mobile entertainment in the palm of their hands.…

    • 693 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Gilded Age Inventions

    • 968 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The first generation iPod was one of the first mobile devices that a consumer could carry around comfortably. Before this, the bulky, disc-shaped Sony Walkmen dominated the market, requiring the user to have to go out of his way to purchase a CD and needing to change the CD in the event that he wanted to listen to a different album. Like changing a lens on a DSLR camera, it was impractical and time consuming. Therefore, Steve Jobs created the iPod, a mini personal computer that could hold music on a small device that allowed the user to switch from song to song easily, reducing the weight of the music kit and the time needed to change the song. The iPod also paved the path for the future of all mobile downloading through the creation of iTunes, a service still widely used today. The first generation iPhone was, perhaps, the most revolutionary piece of technology of the 2000s, bringing to the table a microprocessor, a touch screen, an iPod, a camera, a television, a telephone, a web browser, and a calculator all in a singular package. Before this phone, other phones used a trackpad or a stylus as means of interacting with the device. Consequently, losing or breaking the tool resulted in a useless piece of technology, in addition it the bulk of having to carry around another pen only for a phone. Steve Jobs aimed to ameliorate the situation by using a…

    • 968 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Apple Inc.’s aim for their customers is to produce high quality long lasting up to date products along with an impeccable service for warranty. Apple produces a ray of different types of products in different shapes, sizes and colours suiting different types of people’s preference or lifestyle. For example the IPod Shuffle is the smallest Apple IPod made which a clip feature has marketed those who are…

    • 1230 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In conclusion, Andrew Sullivan’s Ipod World story helps you give thought to how technology is impacting our lives.…

    • 381 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The iPod shuffle mp3 player is a product that I continue to increasingly enjoy since my acquisition. Apple and namely Steve Jobs are notorious for design thinking and adherence to principles that govern good design with many rumored stories in circulation about product development and Jobs’ reaction to new Apple products. With combination of a great design, sound technology, and the addition of philanthropic support of a cause this product has quickly become a treasure.…

    • 590 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Price Elasticity

    • 1390 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Hormby T., & Knight, D. (2005). A History of the iPod: 2000 to 2004. Orchard.…

    • 1390 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Steve Jobs Speech

    • 855 Words
    • 4 Pages

    * "IPhone 5. The Biggest Thing to Happen to IPhone since IPhone." Apple. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Oct. 2012. <http://www.apple.com/iphone/>.…

    • 855 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Target and Positioning

    • 5881 Words
    • 24 Pages

    Leonard , Andrew. (2005) Spiegel Online. The world in the Ipod. Retrieved September 1, 2006,…

    • 5881 Words
    • 24 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Supply and Demand

    • 643 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Today, the iPod mini is now known as the iPod nano. It is the same concept as far as having a smaller version than the original iPod, just with a choice of storage space from 2GB 500 songs to 8GB 2,000 songs. The prices now range from $149 - $249, which $249 was the cost of the iPod min when it first hit the market in 2004, now with the same amount of storage space that the original iPod had at that…

    • 643 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Ipod History

    • 1393 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Apple Computers Inc. is an American corporation that designs and constructs computer hardware, software and other consumer electronics. The company was established in April 1st, 1976, created by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne (Andrea Major). The company is best recognized for their Macintosh personal computer line, Mac OS X, iTunes media application, and especially the iPod personal MP3 player. The IPod started off as a simple device that held approximately 1000 songs. Throughout the years, the IPod has completely upgraded and has literally revolutionized the world. Many changes have come about the iPod in the timespan of about 12 years. The most high tech and popular IPod is the IPod touch. Throughout this paper, I will discuss a brief history of how the IPod was developed and designed. In addition, I will like to give out my personal opinion about the IPod touch of how, why, when I use it.…

    • 1393 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    This is the case study of Apple in the digital age. The great era of the iPod, the…

    • 12084 Words
    • 43 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Apple Current Situation

    • 3746 Words
    • 15 Pages

    Recently, Apple has undergone a transformation from an innovative computer manufacturer to a state of-the-art consumer electronics company. In 2005, the company had $13.93 billion in sales. For the same year, they only controlled 4.2 percent of the U.S. market share in the PC industry. However, Apple’s iPod models accounted for well over 70 percent of the hard-drive MP3 player market and more than 40 percent of the flash based player market.…

    • 3746 Words
    • 15 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    There are five stages of the conventional life cycle of a product, namely; product development, introduction, growth, maturity and decline.…

    • 1203 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The iPod Touch

    • 301 Words
    • 1 Page

    There are options in terms of capacity, model and price. The iPod Touch 16GB (4th generation) costs $199 and the 32GB (4th generation) costs $249.…

    • 301 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays

Related Topics