The best of iChat.

Okay, so basically on my Thanksgiving usually me and my family are all together, and everyone from every state usually comes in to join us.
Unfortunately for the past couple of years, my cousin Briana has been studying in other states and could not attend our traditional thanksgiving dinner So therefore every year she would iChat with us via Iphone or MacBook.  This is a clear scenario that portrays the way apple helps families connect and communicate from all around the world.  In a technologically dominant world, Apple always pushes forward.  Sure we can can make a phone call but now we can visually communicate with the same easy effort of a phone call, and it makes us feel like she is right here with us.

The Beatles - Now available on iTunes.

Cont'd of Customer Relationship

This is a video, which shows apples retail store and it introduces you to the way apple works with its customers.

Chapter 21 _ Customer Relationship management

Apple is very reliable when it comes to its products.
When you buy an apple product the Apple team literally gives their customers a step by step on how to use all of the products, and all of the products features, even before you leave the store with your purchased merchandise. This technique makes customers feel satisfied and in return builds a relationship where customers can feel comfortable asking questions, and getting accurate, and confident answers from the Apple team members.

In all Apple stores is something called the genius bar. The genius bar goes by appointments whether you need help with a question or concern, or even if your product needs maintenance. You can also place yourself on  waiting list while sitting in your very own home, before you even leave to go to an Apple store; which will actually shorten your waiting time when you arrive. When you think about a PC, where can you go to get face to face service ? As far as i am concerned you just have to call on the phone and ship in your product to get it fixed; Apple offers face to face service where they fix your product in store or they ship it out for you and you can just pick it up in a short amount of time. This makes customers less frustrated with automated systems on the phone trying to get customer service. Although you can call up apples customer service at any time if your having a problem, but the option to get it fixed in-store and talk face to face to a real person instead of a machine is just a great option!

Apple's Brand Loyalty Success

When shoppers sleep outside of stores just to be one of the first to buy an iPhone,it's obvious that Apple Inc. is a company that has brand loyalty.  This brands' success is not a result of luck or  beyond Apple's control. Apple knows exactly what there doing and how to do it. Its part of a well-thought-out plan to deliver strong products and to create an Apple culture. 

A Store Just For Apple: Have you ever been in a store that sells a variety of electronics- like Best Buy for example- each department has a team of people who know specifically about just the products in their department? And you have to go searching everywhere for someone who knows about a certain product ? Apple is very different. . Apple has created a store, strictly devoted to Apple products.  Apple  has not only eliminated the problem of ill- informed employees 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 people who love mac 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.-

Complete Solutions: Apple's products complement and complete each other. If you buy an iPod, you can download music via iTunes. Most Mac programs are produced by Apple. This strengthens customer loyalty. Apple users generally don't have to stray to find products and solutions they want.

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

Varied Products: Many consumers may not be ready to buy an Apple computer, but they're willing to give gadgets like the iPod or iPhone a try. By selling products with lower entry costs, it creates an opportunity for new users to be introduced to Apple. If these users enjoy their product, they're more likely to consider buying an Apple computer in the future.

Education Sales: By selling its products to schools and universities, Apple turns classrooms into showrooms. If students go through school using Apple products, they become comfortable with the interface and familiar with the superior performance the brand offers. By creating this early exposure, Apple captures customers before they even know that they are customers.

Products That Deliver: Apple carefully considers what consumers are looking for, so its products are a result of both extensive research and strong design. This planning is a large contributor to Apple's high customer-satisfaction rates. It's plain and simple 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.

Consistency: All of Apple's products have the same basic architecture. Because of this consistency, customers who already own Apple products have a good idea of what they'll be getting before they make a purchase. They know that it will be easy to adapt to new hardware, and this makes them more open to making a repeat purchase.

New Innovations: Although the architecture of Apple products is consistent, its portfolio is not. The company offers consumers a number of different ways to enjoy its products. By giving customers an opportunity to employ Apple in their living rooms, pockets and offices, Apple makes it easy to stay loyal to a brand they already like.

Attractiveness: From packaging to 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.

Week 11- Integrated marketing communication.

Apples target market would most likely be a wide variety. apple tries to target market mostly anybody and they do a pretty good job of it . By that statement i mean that no matter if your 14 or even 60 Apple has a product that would most likely suit you. With the newest release of the Ipad, it is marketed towards more business people in my perspective. Yet, all the teenagers seem to be in a competition now-a-days with each other with who has the latest expensive technology. Ipods suit mostly everybody who loves music on the go- working out- or simple who want to be in touch with the world and the latest technology.
You don't see a lot of sales promotions with apple except for college students who get a discount on laptops and desktops along with a rebate for a free ipod touch when you use your college i.d.
As for apples publicity, who doesn't know about the apple brand ? you can find an apple store anywhere you turn and the innovative technology and cool look to the stores make you want to just go inside and check out the technology. One of the good and smartest things Apple did was to have there products on working display at all times of the day, this potentially gets consumers to walk into the store and get a feel of the product without any pressure. Apples website is also very convenient because all the information you could need is on the website about there products and the Apple company as a whole .
I have posted in an older blog how apples advertisement's cost less than IBM and there competition, Yet who can forget an apple commercial ? There creative and funny yet, and unforgettable.

WEEK 10 - product concepts

Apple as we all know is a brand name, the symbol for apple is known globally. Besides the symbol, apples commercials also consisted of black figured dancing with a white ipod and headphones in there ears, most people in the U.S could probably recognize just the figure with the white ipod and headphones to be apple's brand.
apple has a whole product line of macs, ipods, and ipads. In this line there is also a product mix of different accessories and softwares.
Brand equity applies to apple because most apple customers are brand loyal.
Apple's products also don't look like most products from other companies there laptops have a sort of trendy look and feel to it .

As far as packaging goes, apple usually packages its products in white boxes with a picture of the product that is inside on the package and usaully the brand logo of a bitten apple can be found on the package.
Apples product's all come with a 2 year warranty and it is up to you to buy the extended warranty for the products, Yet if you were to jailbreak or if any downloads are illegal the warranty is immediately terminated and most likely they will not service your product.

Apple Ipad on verizon network.

At&t and verizon began selling the apple ipad on Oct 28th in hopes of the success in the holiday season. Verizon Wireless announced plans to start selling the Apple iPad Oct. 28 through a MiFi bundle that lets you connect up to five devices at once.
The bundle includes a Wi-Fi-only iPad and a cigarette box-sized MiFi 2200 3G Hotspot, which comes with multiple ports. Data plans start at $20 a month for 1GB, and do not require contracts.
To circumvent the incompatibility between T-Mobile's CDMA network and the iPad's 3G capacity, Verizon had to forgo the more popular iPad Wi-Fi+3G tablets sold by AT&T. Instead it pairs a less expensive iPad Wi-Fi with a MiFi hotspot.
Verizon is selling the iPad Wi-Fi 16GB + MiFi for $629.99, iPad Wi-Fi 32GB + MiFi for $729.99, and iPad Wi-Fi 64GB + MiFi for $829.99, or just $0.99 more than an iPad with built-in 3G costs.

Also,AT&T began selling the iPad at its stores. Like with the iPhone, AT&T sells the iPad Wi-fi + 3G. It offers comparable data plans of 250MB for $15 a month, and 2GB for $25 a month. This is apple start with the verizon network to hopefully see the success and see if the iphone 4 on the verizon network will be a smart decision.

Sales Promotion and Personal Selling

Apple has a few sales promotion each year, the most known is for students. When you buy a laptop for college and show you I.D you get a percentage off and also you receive a free ipod touch. Now this promotion only last the month of Aug into sept. The student discount on laptops is all year round. Apple has not had too many coupouns but they do offer some mail- in rebates for some of there products.
Apple also samples there products, although it is not a take-home trial you can try out there products by just simply walking into there store and testing out the product and playing around with it to see its full potential. Through this method you can make referrals by telling friends and family etc, about the new product and to go check it out in one of the apple's million of locations. Apple is such a widely known brand as well that they do not always need to spend so much money on advertising and selling because everybody expects high quality advanced products from apple and most people will spend the few extra bucks just by the brand name.

Chapter 17 - Advertising and public relations

Apple is one of the worlds widely known brand. Apple shells out a ton of money for advertising. In 2009 apple spent $501 million, according to the 10-k file. All of this is money is very little compared to its competitors. Microsoft spent $1.4 Billion in 2009 and DELL spent $811 million on ads. For some reason though i can't remember most of these ad's. As Apple's advertisements are very creative and catchy and  you tend to not forget an ad.

1. The ads are memorable. Apple spends its money on creative, producing a few clever ads rather than a lot of forgettable ones. Those Get-a-Mac ads are marketing events in their own right, picked up on YouTube and re-played again and again at no extra cost to Apple.
2. The ads are well-placed. Apple pays a steep premium to be seen during the World Series or on the back of glossy magazines, but it stays away from the low-cost media where its competitors pour so many of their ad dollars, either directly or through co-op ads. You don't see AT&T  advertising the iPhone in newspaper fliers; Apple doesn't want anyone else promoting its products.
3. The Apple brand speaks for itself. Apple is the 20th most recognizable brand name in the world, up there with Coca Cola, IBM and McDonalds. "The Apple brand is the most supported within its industry," according to Interbrand, "and among the most iconic of relatively young brands in the world."
4. Apple Stores are their own best advertisement. 
5. Word of mouth.Apple users tend to be intensely loyal. If you buy one Apple product your most likely going to buy another one, and by you telling people about your satisfaction your basically helping out Apple Sales for free.

Week 7- retailing

Apple Inc. Has a chain of stores throughout the world. Many of those stores are located in New York. I had visited the apple store in staten island. Just the general appearance of the store makes you want to walk in and check it out. As soon as you walk into the apple store you are instantly greeted, although the store is usually always crowded with people checking out the technology they have on display, a sales person asks if you need help as soon as you are checking out there products. Apple also has big tables where there is enough room for the products and people who are looking at them to move around, without feeling congested
The apple store has a lot to offer, unlike many electronic stores Apple has every version,every color, every gigabyte of software etc.on working display for you to check out for yourself. In this particular apple store there is a couple of computers where kids of young ages could play games on the computer, this is very convenient for people who have young kids that get bored easily while there parents are trying to shop in the store.
With new technology there is no - more waiting on lines to Checkout the sales associate who is helping you has a device where you can pay cash credit or debit directly to them and walk out in no time.. The whole atmosphere and experience you get from Apple is just great and it really makes you want to return.

week 6 - consumer decision process

In today's society, majority of peoples' mind set is based on what they "need" or "want" and what is not a necessity. Apple in general markets themselves to meet society's needs. When you walk into a apple's store you are greeted almost instantly in most cases. A consumer that shops at apple could have all of there questions answered by just walking into the store or even an ad on TV or a subway could show how apple's technology works. The way the Iphone 4 is being marketed is towards mostly everyone in society especially with face time.  I personally, was so amazed when i saw the iPhone 4 face-time commercial; i love how it was being marketed towards people who are deaf and signing to each other. Also it was great to see that if you have a husband, friend, or dad oversees that you could visually see them, it puts so much emotional into a simple phone conversation.

 Also a consumer is going to ask family, friends, co-workers and anybody who has ever tried Apple, especially with the Iphone 4 before buying it. The consumer does research to see what it has to offer and if it was worth the money. There were so many decisions a consumer had to make between the Iphone 3 and Iphone 4. Is the service the same? What is so different? Am i getting the best that is out there? There are steps to purchasing a product as a consumer, first you need to recognize the product and if there are an problems with the product. Then you should research and evaluate and compare different products or store prices, then after the purchase you evaluate the product again to see if it is up to what it is made out to be.

Week 5- Global Marketing

Apple is one of the corporations that have made it into the global market.
Apple just last week had launched there iPhone 4 in Beijing, china and in 4 other stores in china. The apple iPhone was such a huge hit in china they sold out of all phones in the first week. Apple has also expanded to the middleeast and they are releasing there iPhone 4 there. Only thing different about the iPhone here and the one in India is that there will not be facetime on the phone will not exist. This is because facetime runs on wi-fi and in India wireless Internet is rare to none.

Week 4 - Marketing Environment.

When marketing, you must create a marketing mix. This consists of a combination of the product, place, promotion and price strategies. When marketing and displaying your product you also need to market it to a group of people in which would be interested in your product and who you think is most likely to buy it.
Apple Inc. has all the new technology and most people whether they have the money or not are going to buy there products because they want them. Apple has created a market for almost every persons needs.

The ipod for example varies between a little less expensive ipod to an expensive touch screen with wifi, so they market to not only adults but kids as well because parents are most likely not going to want to spend a lot of money on a ipod that there kid is not going to take care of, so they would go towards the less expensive one. Every person strives to keep up with each other, fortunately Apple creates technology that suites every ones interest and price range. Finally, Apple has come up with an accommodable payment plan. In this plan you must apply for there credit card called the "barclaycard". The "barclaycard" is apple's credit card, it helps to finance any products for people who do not have the money upfront; yet need the technology Apple has to offer.

Country of origin of my clothes

All of the clothes i wore today were made and manufactured in china.

Week 2 - Continued.

Apple is releasing the iPhone 4 in china starting Sept. 25th. The release will come about with the opening of an Apple store in Hong Kong Plaza in Shanghai and Xidan Joy city in Beijing. The unlocked 16GB phone will sell for about $743.00 and the 32 GB model will be $892. The phone are for qualified buyers only.Apple is hoping that the iPhone 4 does better in the Chinese market than the iPhone 3GS, which only sold about 5,000 when it first came out.

Also in Abu Dhabi the iPhone 4 will be released on Sept 25th to telecommunications corp.
Apples strategic plan is to go worldwide in hopes that they will be able to expand and grow to all over the country.

Week 3 - Ethics and Social responsibilities

Apple lately has been criticized by environmental organizations for not taking more action in removing the toxic chemicals from all of its new products. Also Apple has not been properly recycling its old products and they are looked upon as an example. Although apple is ahead of most of its competitors in recycling there still not doing what is all morally "right".
Apple has stated that " It is not generally Apple's policy to announce our plans for the future; we tend to talk about the things we just accomplished." Apple feels as if it is hurting there shareholders, employees and industry by not letting everyone know there plans to become greener. Apple is looked as a leader and had decided to change there policy of not sharing there plans for a greener company .


Lead is a very dangerous chemical that is found in electronic products, it is a very small amount in apples products  but there are companies out there that still ship there products with pound of it still inside the display screens.

"Apple completely eliminated the use of CRTs ( lead) in mid-2006."

Arsenic and Mercury is used  in the liquid crystal display screens (LCD). These chemicals are added during the manufacturing of high performance glass used in LCD screens to prevent defects. Apple introduced there first displays using arsenic free glass in 2007. A small amount of arsenic will still be used but it will be very minimal to what it use to be

Apples Weight Recycled in Past sales.

There is no standard for any company's effectiveness of recycling. Yet apple s still improving there recycling tactics as shown in the chart.

Week 2 - strategic planning.

A strategic plan for a company is very important; it can either make or brake you depending on how you market your products and what your goal is for that product. Apple has not only advanced technology in computers, but has also advanced in the cellular market. The new apple iPhone 4 does not only show off all of its new features, but it has opened a whole new can of technology. On the iPhone 4 they have added what is called "facetime". Facetime (as shown on the new commercial) shows how you can visually see the person you are talking to. Whether it be over seas or using visual sign language the iPhone 4 is the first of its kind. Apple does not follow the trend, they make the trend.  All other phone companies just sell what is popular and if you walk into any other cell phone store you will most likely notice and find the same phones with exact or similar features.  The iPhone has a specific contract with AT&T so this is the main reason why it is unique; you cannot get it anywhere else!

With Facetime no matter where you are in the world you can never miss a moment.

There has also been a recent defect with the new iPhone 4 which could have potentially ruined their strategic plan and stratagey; however Apple held a press conference on how to accommodate the customers that had purchased the iPhone 4. Apple offered a free software upgrade for everyone who had purchased the iPhone and had also offered a full refund or a free bumper for the phone to help resolve this issue. 

In my opinion Apple has succeeded in planning their marketing plans, you cannot travel anywhere without hearing on the radio about apple or seeing an advertisement on the side of buses, trains, railways, etc.

Apple is everywhere ! 

Week 1 - Mission Statement And History

         Apple INC. has strived to protect the environment, health and safety of there employees, customers and the communities where they run there business. Apple does there best by incorporating ways to protect there customers by putting safety management practice into the aspects of the business, for example apple offers a setting on the ipod that puts the volume at a certain level in the way that it cannot hurt your eardrums. Apple also offers advanced technology products while maintaining and conserving resources for future generations. Apple is always seeking for improvement in the environmental and health management systems in all of the quality of there products and services. Apple is dedicated to bring top of the line products to its consumers, the company is always upgrading it programs and computers . Applications such as the iLife is a professional app and it makes sure that users will continue to be amazed by the company's success. Apple has revolutionized the music experience by creating the apple ipod which is a music player that can fit into your pocket and hold a variety of music and can store more music than a regular mp3 player.

       Apple was founded in April 1976 by  Steve Wozniak who at the time was 26 and Steve Jobs who at the time was 21. Both men were college dropouts, they met a couple of years earlier when Steve Wozniak who is a self taught electronic engineer began building boxes that made long- distance calls free.Then in 1976 Wozniak began working on another box - which is known as the Apple I computer. Both men had no money so they sold there possessions and raised $1,300 to start a company. A local retailer ordered 50 of the computers and eventually they sold hundreds of computers for about $666.00 a computer. They began working on the Apple II and hired computer techs and then they had consulted a man name Mike Markkula , he was a retired electronic engineer for Intel Corporation and he bought one third of the company for 250,000 and in 1977 was hired as the president. They soon hired someone to advertise them. By the end of 1978 apple was one of the fastest growing companies in the U.S. After this time they had some minor bumps in the road and had lost a lot of money and investors, Today Apple is one of the most advanced companies in the United States. Not only do they make Desktops, laptops and music players but they now offer a cell phone called the iPhone.