Apple

6 Pages 1501 Words

One of the most innovative and exciting fields in our current society is the PC industry. In the last thirty years, the computer industry has developed at an astounding rate—nearly two out of three people over the age of 18 in the US either own or have access to a computer on a regular basis. This incredible invention, however, is the result of inauspicious beginnings and inept primary marketing by one of the most successful manufacturers of personal computers—Apple. Despite disastrous losses in the 80s and 90s to their main competitor, IBM, Apple recently re-vamped the entire company—focusing on marketing and product development--and introduced the iMac in 1998—the most successful personal computer launch ever. Despite this success, the rapid rate of development within the computer industry indicates that Apple must analyze their previous marketing techniques in order to maintain the high level of success achieved in the late twentieth century.
The PC was invented on April Fool’s Day in 1976. The two inventors, Steven Jobs and Stephan Wozniak, were working out of a garage and possessed very little knowledge of the importance of marketing in successful product production and distribution. They were primarily interested in their products—showing “little concern for its markets.” The introduction of IBM in 1981, however, was a strong wakeup call for the unprofessional company—forcing them into competition against strong and well-managed opponents.
For several years after IBM launched its first PC, it dominated the market—focusing on a synergistic relationship with Microsoft. After hearing the dire predictions regarding the probability of Apple surviving IBM domination, Steven Jobs realized that professional marketing help was vital. John Scully, a professional in marketing, concluded that Apple desperately needed a keen update on its marketing-product strategies.
The resulting solution consisted of diffe...