Apple Case Study Essay

Andres Barahona
IMS 3310

APPLE COMPUTER INC.

Apple is a multinational organization that sales electronic devices around the world, creates computers, cell phones, tablets and computer software. Its founders are Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, who were friends in college and developed the first portable computer in 1976 and started Apple Computer®. Nobody would have thought that what started as an idea of creating a personal computer was going to turn into a billion dollar company.
Apple was not very successful in the beginning but 20 years later in the early 90’s the company began to rise and the launch of the first iMac computer in 1998 the company was almost catapulted instantly and the sales began to rise. The design was very edgy and something almost never seen before at the time, green and clear plastic surrounding the round like screen, gave the computer a unique design wanted by everybody.
The team of engineers working behind these incredible gadgets is incredibly talented, and working as a team, they are able to design gadgets that have changed most people’s lives these days. The creation of the iPod in the early 2000’s followed by the iPhone, and the iPad launched a couple of years ago. These gadgets have incredibly helped millions of companies and people around the world and have helped them to communicate more efficiently and organize everything in the palm of their hands.
Technology these days plays a big role among organizations, specially in a globalized world, it is very important to be able to read an e mail or be able to have a videoconference with somebody on the other side of the world, and every business wants to have the best technology available. Apple tries to help organizations achieve their goals and keep everything organized, providing detailed oriented products that think about every aspect of a company’s needs and wants, not only designing the product itself but software as well.
The success of the company is reflected on its value, Apple's worldwide annual revenue in 2010 totaled US$65 billion, growing to US$127.8 billion in 2011 and $156 billion in 2012. It currently holds the title of the largest publicly traded corporation in the world by market capitalization, with an estimated value of US$626 billion as of September 2012. Its market cap is larger than that of Google and Microsoft combined.
Growing globally and opening new stores around the world, Apple manages to have a strategic marketing campaign. Making people speculate about a product that technically doesn’t exist, for example the release of the iPhone 5 was never announced by Apple it was only rumors and there were lines of people outside almost every Apple Store around the country. The product is that good that it doesn’t even need any marketing to have people making a line, and I include myself in this craziness about Mac products.
The company is very well established, with 363 stores around the world and providing excellent customer service, they keep expanding the company. They state that the Supplier Code of Conduct is strictly enforced, ensuring that their suppliers follow the same principles. It requires suppliers to provide secure and healthy working conditions, to use fair hiring practices, to treat their workers with dignity and respect, and to adhere to environmentally responsible practices in manufacturing.
This all sounds like a great company so far, but are there any unethical practices behind all this? As a big company it is normal to be watched by everybody. One of the biggest controversies that Apple faces is the criticism on Chinese underpaid labor. As we all know Apple’s products are ensemble in China as every product states in its back, and it is also known that China offers low-cost labor, it is very convenient for the company to have their products put together over there. There have been accidents that have killed people, like the one reported by Foxconn, saying that three workers died when dust from

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