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Case Analysis 1 - Apple Computer

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1. What were some of Apple’s biggest successes and failures? Describe why.

iTunes was announced in January 2001 as an all-in-one digital music program. iTunes immediately made an impact on a dying music industry as it brought a different approach to how consumers purchase music. The music consumer industry had been going through a change in how music was being used in terms of devices. Consumers were utilizing digital technology devices to download songs instead of using CD's. iTunes was a way for consumers to personalize their music experience within a downloadable software application. iTunes allows users to download MP3, use Internet Radio, write CD's and purchase songs from their favorite artists at a low cost of $.99. iTunes announcement also sparked the cloud revolution.

Apple's iOS App Store was launched in July 2008 as a tool for consumers to use to download applications for their smart phones or smart devices. Apple announced a milestone in July 2011 in that it had reached it 15 billionth download of more than 500,000 applications. The App Store has become the cornerstone of the iPhones success. The App Stores success is driving the markets in that it’s creating new markets for software developers.

Their biggest success of Apple is bringing back the late Steve Jobs. Without Jobs, Apple would be a thing of the past. Jobs came back to Apple in July 1997 as the interim CEO after Apple had posted a $1 billion loss in revenues and stock was trading at $4 a share. In 2010, Apple profits exceeded $14 billion and stock was trading at $370 per share.

Apple's worst failure is that they have become to "cocky" in that they seem they are the answer in the industry and the reliability of their products have been in question, especially the iPhone 4. Reports had been circulated that the iPhone 4 had not been thoroughly tested before its releases,

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