Apple has quite reached the epitome of success. It’s the world's first ever public trillion-dollar company. Many companies just dream to become like Apple one day. Apple reinvents everything with little but trend-setting inventions of their own. While other companies come up with new ideas all the time, Apple waits for the right time for the technology to mature and be really viable and useful. So how exactly is Apple’s strategy different from others? Let’s take a trip down the memory lane.
Apple started as a computer company. They had success since their very first commercial computer, the Apple II. They were so much into computers that their name before Apple Inc. was Apple Computers.
After Steve Jobs was fired from the company in 1985, Apple seemed to lose its focus. They started experimenting with new product categories like Newton Tablets, Pip-Pin gaming consoles, printers, digital cameras, and whatnot. They knew that computers weren't forever and they had to find new ways to sustain themselves in the market. However, this strategy wasn’t working very well and some products were total flops. The reason is simple: they were just launching too many new products without a proper strategy and the implementation was very unlike Apple.
Steve Jobs was a person with a unique mindset. He always liked the idea of simplicity. He prioritized customer experience above everything else. He believed in exclusivity as Apple never really licensed its operating systems and many of its software to other OEMs. Since its inception, all Apple products have always been natural and intuitive, seamlessly integrated with one another with no compromise on quality and design. Jobs knew that giving attention to a few but important product categories and killing old ones as they age will make them successful in the long run.
When Jobs returned, he made very important decisions to resurrect Apple. First, he simplified the lineup by killing-off certain products entirely. He focused on just a few products which he thought the world needed or believed there wasn’t much innovation in that area. Apple revolutionized the MP3-player industry by the launch of iPod in 2001. Later in 2007, iPhone was launched which had such a great impact that currently iPhone devices account for more than 70% of Apple's profit.
Apple has revolutionized every industry they step in, however, they also know that one product won't make them eternal. In 2010, they launched iPad and in 2014, Apple Watch. In 2016, Airpods.
You see, Apple isn't relying on one product for their entirety, they constantly shift their focus and try to innovate in another field. They also don't keep too many products in their product lineup. They constantly kill certain products when there isn’t much left to innovate in that field or when those products don’t generate enough profit for them. This happened with the iPod lineup. And it seems that Mac will also be removed from its product lineup in the near future. This strategy is paying off very well for Apple.
So, what will Apple be doing in the near future? According to various rumors, they are working on a self-driving car platform along with Volkswagen which may hit the market around 2023-25. It also seems that they can rely on subscription services in the future as the Apple Music platform is getting wider and now also available on Amazon Echo. And now, iTunes and Airplay 2 are coming to Samsung Smart TVs. By the rumor mill, they are working on a TV subscription service similar to Netflix. AR Glasses is the next big thing. Apple is also working for implementing more healthcare features in their products like Apple Watch and Airpods.
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