Apple's Strategic Use of Business Intelligence in the Era of Mobile Computing

Apple uses various business intelligence tools and systems to improve its decision-making processes. The company's Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system is integrated with SAP to manage sales, distribution, and material management efficiently. Apple also employs Customer Relationship Management (CRM) to focus on building long-term relationships with customers, providing a unique experience without making a purchase. Additionally, the company uses data mining to retrieve analytical information for staff and employees, increase customer satisfaction, and forecast sales. These systems have enabled Apple to make informed decisions, improve customer service, and maintain its competitive edge in the market.

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Assignment Grading
Course: Name
Apple Analysis
Name
Professor’s Name
University

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Introduction
Apple Inc. an American MNC which develops, designs and sells computer software, consumer
electronics and online services and has its headquarters in Cupertino, California. The hardware
products include iPad, iPhone, Mac personal computer, Apple TV digital media player, Apple
Watch Smartwatch, iPod and the software include iTunes media player, iOS, macOS, Safari web
browser, iWork and iLife productivity and creativity suites. Apart from these services, Apple
also provides iOS App Store, iTunes Stores, Apple Music, Mac App store and iCloud. The
organization was founded by Steve Jobs, Ronald Wayne and Steve Wozniak. The organization is
known widely for its consumer centric products designs and innovative marketing strategy. It has
been considered to be perfect for the work use by the consumers. The company started its
journey in 1977 by launching their first computer Apple 1 and has managed to become the best
company by launching innovative devices since then.
Below given is the representation of new apple launches after 2012.
2013
Apple TV
iLife
iWork
iPad Air(16 & 32 GB)
2014
iPhone 5c
iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.
Mac Mini
OSX 10.10
iPad air 2 and iPad
mini 3
iMac with Retina
display
2015
MacBook Air
Apple Music
OSX
10.11(Upcoming)
Apple Watch
iPod Touch(6 Gen)
iOS 9

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An annual event is held by Apple every year The Apple Worldwide Developers Conference
(WWDC), announcing the latest trends and launches. The Apple WWDC 2015 launched
significant products like iOS 9, Apple Music and new feature of proactive assistance for iPhone
devices.
Competitors
The company has various healthy competitors like Amazon.com, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.,
Dell Inc., International Business Machines Corporation, Google Inc., Lenovo Group Limited,
Cisco Systems Microsoft Corporation, Sony Corporation, LG Electronics, Hewlett-Packard
Company, and many other computer hardware, computer software, Internet companies and
consumer electronics. However, the company is considered to be the most preferred of all amidst
intense competition due to its innovative technology and alluring designs.
Lessons and Executive Summary of Apple Inc.
Apple is considered to be the most preferred brand even with intense competition from rival
brands due to its advertising capabilities which has led to increased brand awareness and for
creating intense demand for the products launched by the company. Additionally Apple has been
listed as the most valuable brand of 2015 is recognized as a considerably growing brand on the
basis of value. This has helped in making the company as one of the most recognizable and
reputable brand in the world. It has a brand awareness that is not matched by its rivals and other
technology in the world due to its leading position in the smartphone marketplace, wide
ecosystem of the products and excellent advertising as well as marketing capabilities. The
company offers best alluring designs, quality and service trust attracting more customers to buy
the company’s products. Additionally the net income, growth, low debt, cash reserves help in
providing the company with enough resources so as to invest in research and development,

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acquisitions, cash-draining activities and marketing without providing an intense threat to the
financial situation of the company. iPhone is considered to be the greatest strength of the
company as it generated the largest revenue for the company and is the most trusted product
among the customers. This also accounts for the biggest threat towards the company making it
vulnerable towards changes in the marketplace. The smartphones launched by Apple targets the
wealthier consumers and the smartphones’ market responsible for biggest sales have become
highly saturated. The inexpensiveness of the products is seen to pose a great threat to the
products launched by the company. The company is expected to grow in the emerging
economies but in the long run, the company has to work on the threats for facing serious
challenges. It should come up with same design at a cheaper price for luring the middle section
of the society.
The organization has the best set of systems, technology and operating units and therefore the
organization must work their best foot forward to keep up with the existing systems and update it
from time to time. The company should make its product less expensive, smaller product along
with providing complementary applications and features. The managers must understand the
competitive advantage using the resources and capabilities, customer focus, strategic vision and
quality of the branding.
Apple: Business Intelligence
A company using Business Intelligence is seen to have large amount of metrics and data which
require serious managing with the security and intelligence. Apple is expected to use business
intelligence (BI) for handling its data. However, the company is in vulnerable position due to
endless competitors and therefore the use of Business Intelligence would help the organization in

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working as a savior and a predictor of the intense competition and work force thereby giving
various future suggestions and methodology for dealing with them (Ben Kerschberg, December,
2014). iPad has already changed the existence of Business Intelligence and the reports and data
can easily be flipped at a single glance. Therefore, Business Intelligence will help in increasing
the application usage and will alter the way people work. This has led to intense decision making
outside the office owing to the fact that people are accessing Business Intelligence on their
mobile computing devices.
Apple: Enterprise Resource Planning
A strong corporate procedure is required in case of an appropriately actualized ERP framework
which will be beneficial in addressing competitive pressure. In order to accomplish that a subtle
business advantage is essential for having business methodology, business drivers along with the
future state course which has to be incorporated with the application. ERP or the enterprise
resource planning has been used by Apple successfully for meeting the supply chains demands
and for working in a manageable and formal method. Despite of losing the importance and being
on the verge of extinction, Apple is likely to utilize every single bit of it along with being highly
concerned about its customers and employees. The organization being a user-friendly firms takes
into account its employees and customers along with the technology.
Apple uses SAP for ensuring that it is keeping all the inventories as low as possible and uses it in
the field of sales and distribution along with material management. SAP further helps in
providing integrated system and this integration is present in the very foundation of Apple and
therefore provides extra edge to the organization.

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Apple: Customer Relationship Management
CRM or the Customer Relationship Management, is a new trend in the field of business
management which is used by various companies. However, the trend is not new to Apple as it
had been using one of the most accurate CRM which is functioning in almost all operations of
the company. It is a system which is beneficial in settling down customers’ issues and disputes
on an individual basis (IPhone Lyf Nyc, November, 2010). The organization has been using
CRM for nearly ten years in all of its customer service departments for focusing on the
assessment of the behavior and feedback of the customers. Apple usually focuses on providing
pleasurable experience without making a purchase. The CRM being used by Apple focuses on
encouragement of a long-term relationship between the company and its clients and customers.
The company aims to retain a relationship along with providing a unique memory of purchasing
a phone. The company and its CRM focuses on teaching their customers to appreciate and love
the benefits of having an iPad or iPhone rather than concentrating on the persuading their
customers to buy an iPhone. This is considered to be the focal strategy of CRM of the company
(Apple CRM Case Study, 2016).
Apple: Data Mining & Intelligent Systems
The organization is considered to be the best company in the intelligent system as none of its
rival competitors are able to incorporate a fine product or protection and security of their data.
Usually the system for data mining and intelligent system are directly associated with privacy
However, there is a need for the company to incorporate a system which is able to understand all
its basic needs along with the functioning. This system if implemented in the right manner will
be beneficial in helping the organization (Meta S. Brown, July, 2015). Apple has been utilizing

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data mining for retrieval of analytical information for its staff and employees and for increasing
the sales by increasing customer satisfaction using customer reviews along with forecasting the
increase of sales.
At apple the team responsible for data mining is termed as Database Administration and the
system that is used in Apple for data mining is developed exclusively and uniquely by and for
Apple.
REFERNECES
1. Apple CRM Case Study. (2016). CRM Systems | Expert Market. Retrieved 21 November
2016, from http://crmsystems.expertmarket.co.uk/Apple-CRM-Case-Study
2. Iphone Life Nyc(November, 2010) Customer Relationship Management
3. Retrieved From- http://applelife1.blogspot.in/2010/11/customer-relationship-
management.html
4. Mikey Campbell (April,2013)Apple's intelligent security system can tell intruders apart from
mistyped passwords. Retrieved From-http://appleinsider.com/articles/13/04/02/apples-intelligent-
security-system-can-tell-intruders-apart-from-mistyped-passwords
5. Micah Solomon (November, 2014) How To Think Like Apple About The Customer
Service Experience. Retrieved
From-http://www.forbes.com/sites/micahsolomon/2014/11/21/how-apple-thinks-
differently-about-the-customer-service-experience-and-how-it-can-help-you/

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6. Ben Kerschberg(December, 2014) How Big Data, Business Intelligence and Analytics
Are Fueling Mobile Application Development. Retrieved
From-http://www.forbes.com/sites/benkerschberg/2014/12/17/how-big-data-business-
intelligence-and-analytics-are-fueling-mobile-application-development/
7. http://www.forbes.com/sites/benkerschberg/2014/12/17/how-big-data-business-
intelligence-and-analytics-are-fueling-mobile-application-development/
8. Retrieved From- http://www.forbes.com/sites/metabrown/2015/06/28/what-apples-tim-
cook-got-wrong-about-data-mining/
9. Meta S. Brown (July, 2015) What Apple's Tim Cook Got Wrong About Data Mining.