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Accounting Case Report

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Introduction
Under the innovation and leadership of Steve Jobs, Apple Inc. was transformed from a company that was at one point on the verge of bankruptcy, to the technology juggernaut that it is today. At the end of 2014, Apple recorded the most profitable quarter of any firm in history, and its market capitalization topped $700 billion shortly after (Exhibit 1). The challenge for the company now is whether or not it can maintain this torrid growth pace in the years to come. iPod sales have been declining for over 7 years now and the iPad has not fared much better, with sales down a substantial 22% year over year from 2013. The success of the company has had a lot to do with its flagship product, the iPhone, which continues to shatter sales records and accounts for almost 70% of Apple’s overall revenue stream (Apple Inc., Form 10-Q, for the Fiscal Quarter Ended December 27, 2014). Despite this success, many are still worried that the company has become overly dependent on the iPhone and that product stagnancy in the pipeline may hinder growth going forward. Furthermore, competition in the smartphone field is fierce, with many imitation products having the potential to encroach on Apple’s territory. CEO Tim Cook has attempted to address these issues head on by introducing new innovative product lines such as the Apple Watch and Apple Pay. In order to determine the sustainability of Apple’s competitive position in the smartphone industry and the tech market in general, it is important to fully understand the specific key issues that the company is currently dealing with, that need to be addressed going forward.
Issues and Analysis
Despite the fact that Apple’s flagship iPhone product continues to shatter sales records, it also accounts for almost 70% of Apple’s overall revenue stream (Apple Inc., Form 10-Q, for the Fiscal Quarter Ended December 27, 2014). As a

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