1. Introduction2. Developing an understanding in which industry Apple participates3. Providing a competitive analysis of Apple's industry3.1 External factors that are driving changes in the industry3.2 Five forces analysis3.3 SWOT analysis3.4 Core competencies and competitive advantages within an industry4. Strategic alternatives4.1 Key strategic recommendations5. Questions to consider5.1 How is Apple better positioned to compete against Microsoft?5.2 How will moves into new industry impact Apple's core business?5.3 Why is Apple set u for success within an industry?5.4 How could Apple set up for failure within an industry?5.5 Why is better to own stock in Apple?5.6 Why is better to work for Apple?1. IntroductionTo start with that obviously both companies, Apple and Microsoft, are in similar areas of the high-tech market and vying for profit through the sale of their computing products. Both are heavily invested in the areas of desktop, laptop and mobile computing devices, as well as peripheral fields such as portable music players and home theater solutions.
English: Apple's headquarters at Infinite Loop in ...
Apple I at the Smithsonian Museum
This television commercial, first aired during Sup...But that's largely where the similarities end. These rival companies wield tremendous power, with Microsoft at 80,000 employees and annual revenue of 50 billion dollars, and Apple slowly catching up at 20,000 employees and 25 billion.
2. Developing an understanding in which industry Apple participatesApple is both a hardware and software company, and consequently has much more control over the design and manufacture of their products. They don't have to support hundreds of motherboards by multiple companies, or worry about being compatible with a cornucopia of third-party video cards or network cards, etc. They choose what goes into each Macintosh machine, and thus can focus on developing a more robust software platform that is designed for the hardware it's running on.
Apple computer has experienced both good and bad times as a major player in the computer industry. It has been a...