Apple is the number two vendor of computer and smartphone technology in the world (Jones, 2016). Industry experts anticipate further growth for the company in the years to come. Apple is able to maintain leadership in innovations by focusing on research and development without spending as much as its competitors do. In 2015, the company allotted $8.1 billion for the said purpose, which was 36 percent, 8 percent, and 10 percent lower than Samsung, Nokia, and Microsoft, respectively. Apple develops products that are related to one another and share as much of the same technicalities. This strategy of creating an ecosystem of products has been proven successful in keeping customer loyalty.
In addition, the company has a strong financial standing. With $185 billion cash in safekeeping offshore, Apple does not have to depend fully on third party investors to expand its operations (Kerr, 2015). Economic downturns are likely to hurt other companies whose assets are not easily liquefiable. It is for this reason that Apple is not likely to lose its balance from sudden disasters.
Most important of all, Apple is run by a handful of the most notable talents in the industry including Eddy Cue, senior vice president of software and Jonathan Ive, design chief (Fierce Markets, 2016). Meanwhile, current CEO Tim Cook is noted for keeping a sharp eye at the supply chain, which allows the company to reduce costs across its portfolio. Apple pricing is unrivaled even by low-cost manufacturers from Asia. Cook also pays attention to nurturing customer trust, which is apparent in his handling of Retail, an effective tactic for sustaining the Apple sales level (Cybart, 2016). Together, these people strive to create devices that many people want and deliver them around the world just in time to meet their need for it.
References
Cybart, N. (2016). Apple: The Tim Cook legacy. Nasdaq. Retrieved from http://www.nasdaq.com/article/apple-the-tim-cook-legacy-cm585824
Fierce Markets. (2016). Tim Cook, CEO, Apple - Most powerful people in wireless. Retrieved from http://www.fiercewireless.com/special-reports/top-25-most-powerful-people-us-wireless-2011/3-tim-cook-ceo-apple-most-powerful-peop
Jones, C. (2016). Apple's iPhone: Market share vs. profits. Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/chuckjones/2016/02/21/apples-iphone-market-share-vs-profits/#4978b0cc46f8
Kerr, J. (2015). Apple Inc. The Henry Fund. Retrieved from http://tippie.uiowa.edu/henry/reports15/aapl_fa15.pdf
Reeves, J. (2015). Opinion: Apple is better served by Tim Cook than it would be by Steve Jobs. Market Watch. Retrieved from http://www.marketwatch.com/story/tim-cook-is-better-for-apple-than-steve-jobs-would-be-2015-10-09
