Apple Inc. Competition and Ethical Issues

01 Benefits of using apple over android

Background: The first benefit of apple device is the easiness to use the features, where the apps are shown with a big icon and its description under. The interface is the same on apple devices too only adds to the ease of use that makes Apple so popular. Apple devices are the best looking in the market, they have an allure.

How I used it: I used this to first illustrate all the major reasons Apple products are chosen by consumers. It’s allure, easy usability and took a contrast between Apple and its competitors to paint the picture clear.

02 Legal and Ethical

Background: There are many legal and ethical issues related to Apple products, New York police says that the theft of iPhone and iPad has increased at a rate ten times higher than any other crimes.

How I used it: For this specific source, instead of talking about how Apple can store data from one devices to another and gather information which can cause privacy dilemma; I used it to show how Apple keeps its consumers constantly in connection with each other and their devices.

03 Security and privacy

Background Apple devices sync all of our documents into the clouds, our home computers and tablets in an organized and readable fashion. Which also can make one wonder where else can these documents can be transferred to, since it is very easy to access your stored information from a different apple device.

How I used it: This one didn’t make it into my final paper.

04 Social problems

Background As millions of people across the country line up to purchase the new iPhone , one phone is not only a person’s problem, but also become a social problems. Based on predictions of Apple sales, GDP goes up. Also in February 2014 a report released by the Economic Policy Institute mentioned the labor abuses that still persist in factories where the apple products are made.

How I used it: This was suppose to talk about how Apple should be judged about their poor ethical conducts, but it has nothing to do with the product performance or quality, therefore didn’t make it in the research position.

05 Apple Product Alternatives

Background For each item on the Apple roster, there’s a non-Apple alternative that comes close, and, in some cases, even performs better and costs cheaper. A good example would be the iPhone 3GS when it first came out everyone had their eyes on it but now most the people own one. But for $20 cheaper we could afford a Google Nexus One which just like the iPhone, Google’s flagship phone is a slim, speedy, powerful touch screen slab with a great Web browser and thousands of apps.

How I used it: This was used to let readers know that despite the success of apple in design and technology, there are other products with the same potential but with less attention.

06 Apple Tied With Samsung

Background: After the release of the new iPhone 6 and 6 plus, Apple has reached the top and in tie with Samsung. Apple had a 46% increase in their shipment compared to last year while Samsung faced a 13% decrease. Samsung is facing big problems because of Xiaomi dominating the Chinese market and Apple leading the premium market worldwide.

How I used it: This helped me illustrate farther the Apple substitutes and I used Samsung as a perfect example of a substitute; with comparisons.

07 Apple Ecosystem

Background: Apple sat up an OS ecosystem, which makes it easier for every Apple user to communicate with each other, share videos and photos. Features like iMessage that allows Apple users to text each other with only the need of wifi or FaceTime which lets consumers make video calls with, iPhone, Macs and iPad.

How I used it: This is where I talked about maintaining its consumers in a community. It helped me built an understanding on why people would rather stay with Apple product than any other competitor.

08 Apple is winning the battle but Samsung might win the war

Background Apple and Samsung have been fighting lawsuits back and forth about copying each others’ patents, both companies had wins and loses in different countries. But despite the unsettled lawsuits, Samsung is becoming technologically efficient and with features similar to Apple.

How I used it: It was used to show that Apple might be in trouble in the future, with Samsung very close to Apple, their products aren’t superior to one another by a large margin. It will need more innovation in the future to completely differentiate itself from Samsung.

09 Apple survival strategy

Background In the future Apple will be more focused on selling only premium products. Therefore it has to specify its market to: publishing, education, and science.  But this will only make the company a trend influence instead of its ambassador.

How I used it: The possible solutions for Apple to dominate the market in the future.

10 Samsung might not be the only Apple competitors in this Mobile Device Era

Background In the long run, Google is considered as the biggest competitor of Apple. This explains why Apple is cooperating with Yahoo and less reliance on Google. As of now Google makes by charging consumers of its premium products, which Apple might have to switch into in the near future because it is getting harder to innovate hardware. Despite the big advances of both Google and Apple, Samsung is also its own ecosystem; it will that triangular competition.

How I used: I didn’t include this because my thesis is mainly about Apple being a design sale based company, not other company just planning on entering the market to change Apple Inc..