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M
 (NASDAQ: AAPL; previously M


 ) is an American multinational
corporation that designs and marketsconsumer electronics, computer software, and personal
computers. The company's best-known hardware products include the Macintosh line of
computers, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad. Apple software includes the Mac OS X operating
system; the iTunes media browser; the iLifesuite of multimedia and creativity software;
the iWork suite of productivity software; Aperture, a professional photography package; Final Cut
Studio, a suite of professional audio and film-industry software products; Logic Studio, a suite of
music production tools; and iOS, a mobile operating system. As of August 2010, the company
operates 301 retail stores in ten countries,[6] and an online store where hardware and software
[5]

products are sold.

Established on April 1, 1976 in Cupertino, California, and incorporated January 3, 1977,[7] the
company was previously named Apple Computer, Inc., for its first 30 years, but removed the word
"Computer" on January 9, 2007,[8] to reflect the company's ongoing expansion into theconsumer
electronics market in addition to its traditional focus on personal computers.[9] As of September
25, 2010, Apple had 46,600 full time employees and 2,800 temporary full time employees
worldwide[4] and had worldwide annual sales of $65.23 billion.[4]

For reasons as various as its philosophy of comprehensive aesthetic design to its distinctive
advertising campaigns, Apple has established a unique reputation in the consumer electronics
industry. This includes a customer base that is devoted to the company and its brand, particularly
in the United States.[10] º
 magazine named Apple the most admired company in the United
[11][12][13]
States in 2008, and in the world in 2008, 2009, and 2010. The company has also
received widespread criticism for its contractors' labor, environmental, and business
practices.[14][15]

c Product Category:

Consumer Electronics

 
 
  include electronic equipment intended for everyday use. Consumer
electronics are most often used in entertainment, communicationsand office productivity. Radio
broadcasting in the earl 20th century brought the first major consumer product, the broadcast
receiver. Later products includepersonal computers, telephones, MP3 players, audio
equipment, televisions, calculators, GPS automotive electronics, digital cameras and players and
 recorders using video media such as DVDs, VCRs or camcorders. At the turn of the 21st century,
the global consumer electronics industry is mainly dominated by Japanese, South
Korean and American companies. Increasingly, these products have become based on digital
technologies, and have largely merged with the computer industry in what is increasingly referred
to as the consumerization of information technology.

The CEA (Consumer Electronics Association) estimates 2007 US Consumer Electronics sales at
[1]
150 billion dollars.

Consumer electronics are manufactured throughout the world, although there is a particularly
high concentration of research and development activity in Japanand South Korea. The latest
consumer electronics are previewed yearly at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las
Vegas, Nevada, at which many industry pioneers speak.

Computer Software


   , or just   , is the collection of computer programs and related data that
provide the instructions telling a computer what to do. We can also say software refers to one or more
computer programs and data held in the storage of the computer for some purposes.
Program software performs the function of the program it implements, either by directly
providing instructionsto the computer hardware or by serving as input to another piece of software.
The term was coined to contrast to the old term hardware (meaning physical devices). In contrast to
hardware, software is intangible, meaning it "cannot be touched".[1] Software is also sometimes used in a
more narrow sense, meaning application software only. Sometimes the term includes data that has not
traditionally been associated with computers, such as film, tapes, and records.[2]

Examples of computer software include:

Application software includes end-user applications of computers such as word processors or video
games, and ERP software for groups of users.

Middleware controls and co-ordinates distributed systems.

Programming languages define the syntax and semantics of computer programs. For example, many
mature banking applications were written in the COBOL language, originally invented in 1959. Newer
applications are often written in more modern programming languages.
System software includes operating systems, which govern computing resources.
Today[wh] large[
] applications running on remote machines such as Websites are considered[
wh ]
to be system software, because[   ]
the end-user interface is generally through
a graphical user interface, such as a web browser.

Testware is software for testing hardware or a software package.

Firmware is low-level software often stored on electrically programmable memory devices. Firmware
is given its name because it is treated like hardware and run ("executed") by other software
programs.

Shrinkware is the older name given to consumer-purchased software, because it was often sold in
retail stores in a shrink-wrapped box.

Device drivers control parts of computers such as disk drives, printers, CD drives, or computer
monitors.

Programming tools help conduct computing tasks in any category listed above. For programmers,
these could be tools for debugging or reverse engineering older legacy systems in order to
checksource code compatibility.

Commercial Servers

A   

 () is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and
original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by
an end-user with no intervening computer operator. Many people consider a PC to be
a Windows system, but this is not true and PC's include any type of computer that is used in a
"personal" manner. This is in contrast to the batch processing or time-sharing models which
allowed large expensive mainframe systems to be used by many people, usually at the same
time, or large data processing systems which required a full-time staff to operate efficiently. It is
also in contrast with the more recent trend of controlling software availability through an
intervening third party such as the Apple App Store.[1][2]

A personal computer may be a desktop computer, a laptop, a tablet PC, or a handheld PC (also
called a à Ã). The most common microprocessorsin personal computers are x86-compatible
CPUs. Software applications for personal computers include word
 processing, spreadsheets, databases, Web browsers and e-mail clients, games, and myriad
personal productivity and special-purpose software applications. Modern personal computers
often have connections to the Internet, allowing access to the World Wide Web and a wide range
of other resources.

A PC may be used at home or in an office. Personal computers may be connected to a local area
network (LAN), either by a cable or a wireless connection.

While early PC owners usually had to write their own programs to do anything useful with the
machines, today's users have access to a wide range of commercial and non-commercial
software, which is provided in ready-to-run or ready-to-compile form. Since the
1980s, Microsoft and Intel have dominated much of the personal computer market, first with MS-
DOS and then with the Wintel platform.

c Apple Retail Stores

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 : Apple¶s products complement and complete each other. Buy an iPod, and you can
download music via iTunes. For the average user, most Mac programs are produced by Apple. This sort
of control over the entire user process, from hardware to software, strengthens customer loyalty. Apple
users generally don¶t have to stray to find products and solutions they want.

M : From packaging to aesthetic design to user-interface experience, Apple makes its
products accessible and attractive. Bright colors, a smiling icon and slick-looking hardware remind
customers every time they use Apple products that what Apple offers is appealing.

IMAGERY

 : Let¶s face it, Apple is a hip brand. It pushes a strong identification with everything young,
up-to-the-minute and smart. Consider Apple¶s I¶m a Mac campaign. The Mac guy is smooth and
confident, while PC appears uptight and old. Once you¶ve become smooth, would   want to go back to
uptight?

 
 : Apple carefully considers what consumers are looking for, so its products are a
result of both extensive research and strong design. This meticulous planning is a large contributor to
Apple¶s high customer-satisfaction rates. It¶s plain and simple: robust and easy-to-use products not only
make your customers happy, but also make them want to buy more products from you in the future.

M  M
: Apple has historically been troubled by big-box sales staffers that are ³tragically
ill-informed´ about its products, a problem that made it difficult for Apple to set its very different products
apart from the rest of the computing crowd. By creating a store strictly devoted to Apple products, the
company has not only eliminated this problem but has made an excellent customer-loyalty move. Apple
stores are a friendly place where Mac and PC users alike are encouraged to play with and explore the
technology that the company offers. This is a space where Macheads can not only get service but also
hang out with others who enjoy Apple products just as much as they do. By creating this space, Apple
encourages current and new customers to get excited about what it has to offer.

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