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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

Apple Inc. is an American company whose reach is multinational. Apple designs, manufacturers personal computers, consumer electronics, software, as well as services related to each of the primary areas just discussed. Apple’s 2013 10-K reports that “The Company designs, manufacturers, and markets mobile communication and media devices, personal computes, and portable digital music players, and sells a variety of related software, services, peripherals, networking solutions, and third-party digital content and applications. Despite the MP3 players having already been introduced to the world, it was not until Apple released its version of what it felt an MP3 player should look and feel like that the mass market took notice. Apple released its initial MP2 player, its iPod, in 2001. Since the release of that product, Apple has experienced a ridiculous amount of growth. In fact, Apple has been listed as one of the most successful electronics companies in the world (Apple’s 2013 10-K).

With Steve Jobs back in control at Apple, The Company did anything but rest on its laurels. Of these primary areas in which Apple focuses, the most important of these is its communication and media devices division. AS Suman Chatterjee (2013) writers in an article published on SeekingAlpha.com, “With the release of the iPhone 5 and strong ties with Verizon (with a US market share of 31.9%) and AT&T (with a US market share of 35.4%), Apple’s share in the smartphone market has shown remarkable rise in the recent quarters.”

When assessed in terms of market capitalization, Apple is the world’s most valuable company. For the fiscal year ending on September 30th, 2012, Apple’s revenues have vaulted to $156,508 million (Sheehy, 2013). “This quite remarkable transformation was possible because Apple has been instrumental in precipitating