Apple Inc is involved in a wide range of sectors ranging from the manufacture of technological products to provision of exceptional services in the entertainment and media sector. It, therefore, provides a limitless expanse of career opportunities and skill-building programs and activities ranging from project management, marketing, capacity building to engineering and designing hardware products.
Apple Inc offers an incredible opportunity for career growth and acquisition of hand on skills. It provides a myriad of smart, talented people to work with and learn from. Even though working at Apple is challenging, it is exciting and the pressure to perform results in monumental achievements and satisfaction. Apple Inc inspires diversity and evolution of industries. Working in an environment-friendly company is attractive to an individual who pays attention to conservative environmental measures like me. Apple Inc also offers very competitive remuneration options and a host of allowances and benefits.
Consumer website: www.apple.com
Investor/corporate website: investor.apple.com
Ticker symbol: AAPL
List of competitors
Apple computers have dominated the market from the 80s and customers are still report high satisfaction with them to date. Major competitors to Apple’s Macintosh personal computers are Dell, Lenovo, HP, and Acer. The companies competing with Apple in the computer tablets sector are Samsung, Asus, Nokia and Google (Investopedia par 3). In the media and entertainment software industry, Apple Inc is competing with Google Play Store while its biggest competitors in the mobile money transaction front are Google and PayPal (Investopedia par 5 & 6). Companies that deal with smartphones competing with Apple’s iPhone include Lenovo, Samsung, HTC, Huawei, and Sony among others (Investopedia par 4).
What industry are they in?
Apple Inc has found its niche in the Smartphone, media and entertainment applications, computers, as well as the mobile payment sectors (Investopedia par 1).
How has the company been doing financially for the last several years?
Apple is the wealthiest company in the world with a worth of around $657 billion. Apple’s highest profits were recorded in 2015 when it made over $234 billion (Neate par 1). The company generated $182.8 billion and $170.9 billion in 2014 and 2013 respectively.
How large is the company? (locations, revenue, employees- use measures relevant to your company)
The number of people employed by Apple Inc is about 115,000. The company has 453 retail shops situated in 16 nations, and it recorded a revenue of $234 billion in the year 2015 (Neate par 1).
What products/service do they make/sell?
It is a tech company involved in developing, producing and selling electronics, software applications, and online products. Apple Inc has a variety of primary products such as Mac, iPad, iPod, iPhone, iCloud, iTunes, application software, operating systems and Mac App Store (Reuters par 1).
The various software applications that Apple deals with include Logic Studio, FileMaker Pro, and Final CutPro among others. Apple also manufactures peripheral products such as cameras, printers, memory devices, digital video and other computing accessories (Reuters par 9). Additionally, people can watch movies and television programs from Netflix, YouTube, and iTunes via Apple TV (Reuters par 9).
Who are their customers?
Apple Inc targets teenagers, campus students, business persons, adults and young children. Teenagers use apple products for socializing, games and entertainment. iPods are particularly popular with teenagers. Students use apple computers and phones to take class notes and for research purposes. The size and weight of these products make them attractive to students.
Since apple devices are of high quality, they are used by business people for communication, data storage and computation, and networking. Young children use these devices for learning and playing games while adults use them mainly for communication and internet access.
What information do you see on message boards about the company?
Message boards provide investment information, stock news, and predictions.
What major news items have been posted about the company?
There are speculations that the rumored ongoing manufacture of a 4” upgraded iPhone might raise the demand for small-sized phones in the market. Apple Inc is expected to launch this phone together with its next tablet, iPad Air 3, in March 2016. iPhone 5se has an A9 processor and an M9 co-processor. Except for a few design modifications, this iPhone looks like iPhone 5s.
According to Gjorgievska (par 1), Apple Inc intends to sell multi-billion dollar bonds for capital. Proceeds from the securities sale will be used by the company to pay creditors, for acquisitions and other general purposes. The longest dated bond will mature in 30 years. This bond is expected to yield 2.15% points higher than similar securities. There is also a 7 years bond whose proceeds are intended for green initiatives.
Where is the corporate headquarters?
Cupertino, California, USA.
Search on LinkedIn.com for links to the company
Angela Ahrendts, senior VP, Apple Retail.
Minnie Nguy, Project Manager, Apple
Mehmet Balkan, Apple Recruiter.
Tina Campbell, Sr. Technical Recruiter.
Renu Sevathi, Staffing Leader.
Bianca Medina, Sr Technical Recruiter
What are the company’s reviews on glassdoor.com like?
The company has a 4-star rating with advantages such as competitive benefits and limitless opportunities for career advancement. Apple is credited with having flexible schedules as employees can choose to work from home, offsite or at the office.
Most reviewers are happy with the leadership at Apple because it is supportive and it encourages personal growth in employees. 82% of the reviewers would advise a friend to work at Apple Inc while 95% are satisfied with the current CEO, Tim Cook.
What information do you find using social media such as Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn?
Information found on social media includes company information and contacts, product specifications, product offers, and company events. Posts and comments by the employees and company leaders reveal finer details of the work environment and how they relate to one another.
Works Cited
Gjorgievska, Aleksandra. Apple Inc. said to plan multi-billion dollar bond sale for capital return to shareholders. The Financial Post 16 February 2016. Web
Investopedia. Who are Apple”s (AAPL) Main Competitors in the Tech Industry? Web. 16 Feb 2016.
Neate, Rupert. Apple calls 2015 ‘most successful year ever’ after making reported $234bn. The Guardian 27 October 2015. Web
Reuters. Apple Inc (APPL.O). Web 16 Feb 2016.
