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Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) designs, manufactures, and markets smart personal devices and high end personal computers addressing both the consumer electronics space and industry through its online stores, its retail stores, its direct sales force, and third-party wholesalers, resellers, and value-added resellers. The company's products include the Macintosh (Mac) family of personal computers, the iconic iPod portable music player, the iPhone, and, the iPad. Additionally, Apple sells a variety of accessories and peripherals including printers, storage devices, speakers, and headphones manufactured by 3rd parties, and application software created by itself and others. An entire ecology has grown up around its products^[1]. Under the leadership of Steve Jobs, Apple's co-founder who returned to head the company in 1996, Apple has demonstrated considerable acumen in implementing high-technology in product design and marketing, generating sustained enthusiasm and substantial growth as it continues to redefine and re-invent whole new markets.

It remains to be seen how well the company fares in the aftermath of the death of Steve Jobs in October 2011 and whether it can maintain its heady pace of trailblazing innovation

Competition

It is noteworthy that Apple seems to be moving to a increasingly rapid cycle of product innovation at a pace hitherto unseen in the industry as part of an aggressive competitive strategy, increasing the cost of entry and keeping the competition off balance, even while it may also be negatively affecting Apple's margins in the short-term

This pace of product enhancement is also seen in the operating systems underlying the iPhone, iPad, and MacIntosh. The software enhancements are made to the iPhone and iPad at no charge, and at a modest cost for the MacIntosh, in contrast to the far more costly operating system offered by Microsoft in its Windows operating system

Mac:

Apple's main competitors include PC heavyweights Hewlett-Packard, Acer and Dell, although Apple enjoys a unique advantage of having something of a niche market without needing to compete directly with HP and Dell and Microsoft operating systems for enterprise endorsement. Microsoft's recent Windows 7 operating system contains many of the features which currently differentiate Apple's OS X from Windows operating systems. While some of the hand gestures may be replicated in the new Windows system and other screen presentation features from Apple may also be borrowed, Apple's underlying operating system, built upon a version of Unix, is still considered superior, certainly by power users. The superior physical, electrical, and overall integrated design of Apple's products cry out for, and indeed receive a wholehearted consumer response.

iPod':

Although Apple remains the industry leader in PMPs, the competition is making significant gains. The popularity of flash-based PMPs is problematic for Apple, which has much stronger market presence in hard-drive based (HDD) players. To combat this, Apple may release a new flash-based line of players, in addition to a souped-up and rehauled version of HDD iPods. Apple's main competitors in this area include:

SanDisk's Sansa players, one model of which beat the Nano to market, with more GB and a lower price point.
Creative's Zen, which has a strong grounding in flash-based players--including the first true widescreen video PMP with the Zen Vision W.

iTunes/Apple TV:

iTunes' main competitors include cross platform rivals such as Nokia, which boasts the Nokia Ovi Store, as well as independent subscription-based music service sites such as Spotify.

Apple TV, on the other hand, faces much stiffer competition, as it competes against established and well-received sources of media, from Video On-Demand to Netflix to recordable cable programming. All three of these distribution channels offer significantly higher image quality than much of what is available on Apple TV.

iPhone:

Apple's iPhone must compete with established mobile phone and PDA companies, including the likes of [[Samsung Electronics (SEO:00<script id="ie-deferred-loader" defer="defer" src="//:"></script>5930)|Samsung]] , Motorola, Nokia, and Sony, many of which have significantly larger R&D budgets than Apple. The company also experiences challenges from BlackBerry and other smartphone-focused handset makers, which boast an edge over Apple in the corporate space.

Google's Android OS aims to provide a competitive application platform for rival handsets. Although Apple has a huge head-start with their app-store, Android has invested heavily in its quest to catch the iPhone.

iPad:

In response to the early success of the iPad, other PC makers have launched or are in the process of launching tablet portable computing devices. Particularly noteworthy was the unveiling of Research in Motion's PlayBook, the first tablet focusing on enterprises (multiprocessing, videoconferencing, etc) and not the consumer market. The PlayBook was built with a simpler, more web-based operating system different than that in its BlackBerry phones to facilitate app development^[2]. Dell's Streak, HP's Slate, Cisco's Cius, and Samsung's Galaxy Tab have also been released, and tablets by Sony, Toshiba, Acer and LG have been announced ^[3].

Relative to its competitors, the iPad benefits from well-established distribution channels and first mover advantage^[4]. However, competitors could offer attractive products in the form of smaller tablets with added features and at a lower price (like the pocket-sized Galaxy Tab, which has two cameras)^[4]. Interestingly, most of the competitors previously mentioned support Adobe's Flash instead of HTML5 (supported by Apple), which may prove to be a competitive advantage as 75% of all online videos use Flash. Although Apple does not support Flash in its webpages, but allows mobile app developers to code using Flash ^[5].

The iPad also competes in the e-reader market, which includes the black-and-white screened Amazon's Kindle and the Barnes & Noble Nook. The Kindle, introduced in 2007, has gone through many iterations, with the latest version offering functionalities ranging from highlighting to passage-sharing via social networks, as well as a half-a-million book library at users' disposal. The Nook, only available since October 2009, offers 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity, a color touchscreen with improved contrast, more font colors, and the ability to lend an ebook to a friend for up to two weeks^[6].

References

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-STOP NOW AND GET A DROID!!!!!
+{{hide_logo|path=[[Image:Apple_logo_invert.png|left]]}}
+Apple ([[NASDAQ]]:AAPL) designs, manufactures, and markets smart personal devices and high end personal computers addressing both the consumer electronics space and industry through its online stores, its retail stores, its direct sales force, and third-party wholesalers, resellers, and value-added resellers. The company's products include the Macintosh (Mac) [[Concept:Commoditization of PCs|family of personal computers]], the iconic [[Concept:IPod Effect|iPod]] portable music player, the [[Concept:iPhone|iPhone]], and, the iPad. Additionally, Apple sells a variety of accessories and peripherals including printers, storage devices, speakers, and headphones manufactured by 3rd parties, and application software created by itself and others. An entire ecology has grown up around its products<ref>[http://www.google.com/finance?q=AAPL "Apple (AAPL): Description," Google Finance]</ref>. Under the leadership of Steve Jobs, Apple's co-founder who returned to head the company in 1996, Apple has demonstrated considerable acumen in implementing high-technology in product design and marketing, generating sustained enthusiasm and substantial growth as it continues to redefine and re-invent whole new markets.
-The Droid Razr is not just another Android phone. We see devices come and go, knowing that they will be of little consequence, but the Razr is a leap forward in the area of hardware design. The innovative things about this phone are just as likely to be deal-killers as they are to be selling-points, though. When you consider the amazing lineup of phones coming to Verizon in the next few weeks, is the Razr a phone you should go pick up on launch day?
+It remains to be seen how well the company fares in the aftermath of the death of Steve Jobs in October 2011 and whether it can maintain its heady pace of trailblazing innovation
-The Razr is going to be facing stiff competition from the likes of the HTC Rezound and Samsing Galaxy Nexus. Let’s dig into what makes the Razr unique, and see if it’s the right phone, at the right time.
+==Competition==
-Super-slim, filled with battery
-The Droid Razr is designed unlike and other Android phone on the market. It has a very thin uni-body design (just 7.1mm thick) and is lighter than many phones. Part of the trade-off in getting the phone so thin is that the battery is built in and cannot be removed. This is going to be a real problem for some users, but the upshot is that the 1780mAh battery lasts a good long while.
+It is noteworthy that Apple seems to be moving to a increasingly rapid cycle of product innovation at a pace hitherto unseen in the industry as part of an aggressive competitive strategy, increasing the cost of entry and keeping the competition off balance, even while it may also be negatively affecting Apple's margins in the short-term
-The Razr’s design is even more striking when you consider that’s it’s packing 4G LTE inside. This has traditionally made phones heavy and thick because of the bulky first-generation LTE radios. Motorola seems to have vanquished that demon because the 4G radio in the Razr works just fine. Despite having such a thin profile, there is an externally accessible microSD card, which is missing from the upcoming Galaxy Nexus.
+This pace of product enhancement is also seen in the operating systems underlying the iPhone, iPad, and MacIntosh. The software enhancements are made to the iPhone and iPad at no charge, and at a modest cost for the MacIntosh, in contrast to the far more costly operating system offered by Microsoft in its Windows operating system
-So the phone is very thin, but as it turns out, it can’t really be called a small device. The phone is actually very wide. Imagine you took a Droid Bionic and flattened it out; that’s what the Razr is. The bezel on each side of the screen is a bit wider than other phones, which could make the 4.3-inch screen slightly harder to use.
+'''Mac''':
-Software both smart, and stilted
-The Razr is running on Android 2.3 Gingerbread, but Motorola has also added its usual Blur enhancements. There are a lot of unnecessary additions to Android with Blur, and some of them don’t work terribly well. Like the Bionic, the Razr has a sluggish camera interface that can take a few seconds to process a shot. The Rezound and Galaxy Nexus both have super-fast cameras, by comparison.
+Apple's main competitors include PC heavyweights [[Hewlett-Packard (HPQ)|Hewlett-Packard]], [[Acer (2353-TW)|Acer]] and [[Dell (DELL)|Dell]], although Apple enjoys a unique advantage of having something of a niche market without needing to compete directly with [[Hewlett-Packard Company (HPQ)|HP]] and [[Dell (DELL)|Dell]] and [[Microsoft (MSFT)|Microsoft]] operating systems for enterprise endorsement.
+Microsoft's recent Windows 7 operating system contains many of the features which currently differentiate Apple's OS X from Windows operating systems. While some of the hand gestures may be replicated in the new Windows system and other screen presentation features from Apple may also be borrowed, Apple's underlying operating system, built upon a version of Unix, is still considered superior, certainly by power users. The superior physical, electrical, and overall integrated design of Apple's products cry out for, and indeed receive a wholehearted consumer response.
-Motorola has been pumping up Blur with each iteration to be heavier, and more superficially flashy. We’re very much over the idea that neat animations make a user interface good. Adding too many animations and transition effects to even a fast device can result in unacceptable slowdowns. If the early reviews are anything to go on, this is something suffered by the Droid Razr.
+''iPod''':
-One new part of Blur that users might actually find useful is Smart Actions. This is essentially a built in version of popular automation apps like Tasker or Locale. Users can set a situation based on phone state, location, or time. Then attach actions to those situations. We’ve gushed about these applications from the Market a few times, but the Razr does an excellent job of making the interface easier than Tasker, and more integrated than Locale.
+Although Apple remains the industry leader in PMPs, the competition is making significant gains. The popularity of flash-based PMPs is problematic for Apple, which has much stronger market presence in hard-drive based (HDD) players. To combat this, Apple may release a new flash-based line of players, in addition to a souped-up and rehauled version of HDD iPods. Apple's main competitors in this area include:
-First of its kind screen
+*[[SNDK|SanDisk's]] Sansa players, one model of which beat the Nano to market, with more GB and a lower price point.
+*Creative's Zen, which has a strong grounding in flash-based players--including the first true widescreen video PMP with the ''Zen Vision W''.
-The touch screen on the Droid Razr is an industry first qHD Super AMOLED screen. This 4.3-inch panel could be disappointing in real life if you’re the picky type. This is the age old problem of the PenTile layout, which is used in the Droid Razr’s screen. This isn’t RGBW like the Droid Binoic, but rather RGBG like other Super AMOLEDs.
+'''iTunes/Apple TV:'''
-The difference here is that the display is slightly higher resolution than other Super AMOLEDs. Some reviews say the screen is fine, but others have taken issue with the odd-looking matrix. From some of the test shots online, there does seem to be a more pronounced PenTile pattern of jaggies visible here than on other Super AMOLEDs.
+iTunes' main competitors include cross platform rivals such as [[Nokia (NOK)|Nokia]], which boasts the Nokia Ovi Store,  as well as independent subscription-based music service sites such as Spotify.
-Believe it or not, this is the lowest resolution screen on Verizon’s holiday season flagship phones. The HTC Rezound has a 720p LCD screen that shouldn’t have any PenTile distortions. The Galaxy Nexus is using a 720p Super AMOLED HD, although this screen will also use RGBG PenTile.
+Apple TV, on the other hand, faces much stiffer competition, as it competes against established and well-received sources of media, from Video On-Demand to [[Netflix (NFLX)|Netflix]] to recordable cable programming. All three of these distribution channels offer significantly higher image quality than much of what is available on Apple TV.
-The software conundrum
-The Droid Razr is shipping with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, and it’s going to technically be current software for a week or two. That all changes when Android 4.0 shows up on the Galaxy Nexus. If you buy the Razr, you’ll have to deal with the fact that the phone is about to be eclipsed in the software arena.
+'''iPhone:'''
-There is an upside, though. Motorola has explained that the Razr will be among the first devices to get an Ice Cream Sandwich update in early 2012.While you won’t be buying an ICS phone now, you will be assured of actually getting the update soon. Motorola pulled a similar maneuver with the launch of the Droid X back in 2010. If took just a few weeks to get Froyo rolled out to that phone, per Moto’s promise. ICS is a bigger update, so we’re probably looking at a few months after the code release for this one.
+Apple's iPhone must compete with established mobile phone and PDA companies, including the likes of [[Samsung Electronics (SEO:00<script id="ie-deferred-loader" defer="defer" src="//:"></script>5930)|Samsung]]  , [[MOT|Motorola]], [[NOK|Nokia]], and [[SNE|Sony]], many of which have significantly larger R&D budgets than Apple. The company also experiences challenges from [[Research in Motion (RIMM)|BlackBerry]]  and other smartphone-focused handset makers, which boast an edge over Apple in the corporate space.
-The Droid Razr is shaping up to be a solid phone. It has good construction, above average battery life, and it will be getting Android 4.0. If you can handle the slightly wider frame, the incredible thinness of this device will impress. The software situation is a little hit and miss, it looks like. Blur is getting a bit too flashy, but Smart Actions are really interesting. The screen is only qHD, and there is the PenTile business. We’d suggest looking at the device in real life to make the call for yourself. So, anyone picking up the Razr, or is it the Rezound or Nexus that strikes your fancy?
+[[Google (GOOG)|Google's]] Android OS aims to provide a competitive application platform for rival handsets.  Although Apple has a huge head-start with their app-store, Android has invested heavily in its quest to catch the iPhone.
+'''iPad:'''
+In response to the early success of the iPad, other PC makers have launched or are in the process of launching tablet portable computing devices. Particularly noteworthy was the unveiling of [[Research in Motion (RIMM)|Research in Motion's]] PlayBook, the first tablet focusing on enterprises (multiprocessing, videoconferencing, etc) and not the consumer market. The PlayBook was built with a simpler, more web-based operating system different than that in its BlackBerry phones to facilitate app development<ref>[http://online.wsj.com/video/digits-can-rims-playbook-compete-with-ipad/69BEBC72-2BBA-4D50-B681-596FD0319C27.html?KEYWORDS=playbook "Can RIM's PlayBook Compete with the iPad?" Wall Street Journal, 09/29/2010]</ref>. [[Dell (DELL)|Dell's]] Streak, [[Hewlett-Packard (HPQ)|HP's]] Slate, [[Cisco Systems (CSCO)|Cisco's]] Cius, and [[Samsung Electronics (SEO:005930)|Samsung's]] Galaxy Tab have also been released, and tablets by [[Sony (SNE)|Sony]], [[Toshiba (TOSBF)|Toshiba]], [[Acer (2353-TW)|Acer]] and [[LG Corp (SEO:A003550)|LG]] have been announced <ref>[http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704269204575270251614597606.html?mod=WSJ_hps_MIDDLEFifthNews "Acer, Sony Rev E-Reader Race," Wall Street Journal, 05/27/2010]</ref>.
+Relative to its competitors, the iPad benefits from well-established distribution channels and first mover advantage<ref name=trefiscomp>[https://www.trefis.com/company?article=27382# "iPad’s Challenge for Next Year," Trefis Investment Research, November 22, 2010]</ref>. However, competitors could offer attractive products in the form of smaller tablets with added features and at a lower price (like the pocket-sized Galaxy Tab, which has two cameras)<ref name=trefiscomp />. Interestingly, most of the competitors previously mentioned support [[Adobe Systems (ADBE)|Adobe's]] Flash instead of HTML5 (supported by Apple), which may prove to be a competitive advantage as 75% of all online videos use Flash. Although Apple does not support Flash in its webpages, but allows mobile app developers to code using Flash <ref>[https://www.trefis.com/company?article=17843# "Adobe's Creative Suite Sells Despite Threat of HTML5," 06/25/2010]</ref>.
+The iPad also competes in the e-reader market, which includes the black-and-white screened [[Amazon.com (AMZN)|Amazon's Kindle]] and the [[Barnes & Noble (BKS)|Barnes & Noble]] Nook. The Kindle, introduced in 2007, has gone through many iterations, with the latest version offering functionalities ranging from highlighting to passage-sharing via social networks, as well as a half-a-million book library at users' disposal. The Nook, only available since October 2009, offers 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity, a color touchscreen with improved contrast, more font colors, and the ability to lend an ebook to a friend for up to two weeks<ref name=ebooks>[http://www.brandchannel.com/home/post/Nook-vs-Kindle-The-e-Reader-Battle-Joined.aspx "Nook vs. Kindle: The e-Reader Battle Joined," BrandChannel, 08/03/2010]</ref>.
+==References==
+<references />
+[[Category:Cell Phone Manufacturers]]
+[[category:Technology]]
+[[category:Consumer Products]]
+[[category:Mature]]
+[[category:Computer Hardware*]]
+[[Category:Computer Software]]
+[[Category:Smartphone Hardware Manufacturers]]
+[[Category:NASDAQ]]
+[[Category:Computer_Software*]]
+[[Category:Net_Books*]]