Investigating Marketing Strategies of Apple iPhone in the US

This dissertation investigates the marketing strategies of Apple's iPhone in the US. It examines the best marketing channels, pricing appropriateness, factors influencing customer purchases, and customer shopping behavior. The study involved a survey of 200 US residents, analyzed using bar graphs and pie charts. Findings indicate the effectiveness of Apple's current strategies, with customer satisfaction across product features, pricing, placement, and promotion. The report highlights the high brand awareness and customer loyalty. Recommendations are provided to further improve Apple's marketing approaches. The introduction provides an overview of the technology industry and Apple's history, major products, and services, including a brief chronology and the company's values. The literature review and research methodology, including objectives, design, participants, data collection, sampling, instruments, and data analysis techniques are also presented. The study concludes with findings, results, and recommendations for Apple's marketing strategies.

An investigation of marketing strategies of
Apple's iPhone in the US
Dissertation

Abstract
The company ‘Apple Inc.' is an MNC, which creates and sells the consumer electronics, Pc's,
software for computers. It has many stores all over the world. The main products of the company
are iPhone, iPod, iPad and Macintosh line of computers. Since the company has high brand
awareness, the products are recognized worldwide. The company enjoys a competitive edge over
other competitors. The purpose of this study is to investigate the marketing strategies of the
company for its most popular product ‘iPhone’. The main objectives of this study are: to find the
best source/media for marketing of Apple iPhone in the US, to analyze the appropriateness of
pricing strategy for Apple iPhone in the US, to investigate the factors that make people buy
Apple iPhone and to determine the shopping behavior of customers of Apple iPhone. A
questionnaire was formulated to carry out the study which was responded by a sample of 200
people of USA. The sample was selected using the method of convenience sampling. The data
was analyzed using bar graphs and pie-charts. The findings showed that the existing marketing
strategies of the company are appropriate to great extent as all the four P's of marketing are
satisfactory for the customers. The ‘product' is liked by the people; they are happy with the
features and usability. Also, they prefer to buy it over other brands. The ‘price' is also
appropriate. The ‘place' preferred stores and the customers feel that availability of product is also
convenient. Lastly, the ‘promotion' is successful as 99% of people are aware of the brand; the
strategies of marketing are placed appropriately and are efficient to attract the customers. Few
recommendations are also mentioned in the end to help the company in improving its marketing
strategies further.
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Acknowledgement
First and foremost, I would like to show my gratitude towards the one who had a significant
contribution to the accomplishment of this research paper: my coordinator, who offered all her
support and guidance in a timely manner. I was extraordinarily fortunate to benefit from her
valuable and in the same time constructive suggestions and I must confess that I would not have
embarked in this academic research without her prior teaching in statistics and econometrics.
My gratitude goes also to the managers of Apple Inc., company that served as the study case for
my paper. Their unlimited and indispensable help gave me the possibility to progress with my
research paper; therefore their co-operation is indeed appreciated.
I would like to acknowledge the academic and technical support of my institute, particularly in
the award of Bibliographic and External Affairs Research Service offered to the students by the
Central Library.
Finally, I want to express my sincere thanks to all those, who, in one way or another, contributed
to the development and completion of this dissertation.
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Contents
Introduction.................................................................................................................................................4
Major products and services...................................................................................................................6
Brief Chronology:.....................................................................................................................................9
Major competitors of Apple Inc.................................................................................................................11
Apple, Inc.’s Values....................................................................................................................................11
Literature review.......................................................................................................................................13
Research Methodology..............................................................................................................................25
Objectives..............................................................................................................................................25
Research design.........................................................................................................................................25
Participants............................................................................................................................................26
Data collection.......................................................................................................................................26
Sampling................................................................................................................................................27
Instruments...........................................................................................................................................28
Scale used..............................................................................................................................................28
Data analyses technique........................................................................................................................28
Limitations of the study.............................................................................................................................29
Data analysis..............................................................................................................................................30
Findings and Results..................................................................................................................................39
Conclusion.................................................................................................................................................43
Recommendations.................................................................................................................................45
References:................................................................................................................................................47
Appendix...................................................................................................................................................52
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Introduction
The technology industry gives establishment to exercises, for example, chip creation, data and
correspondence frameworks, and PC i.e. personal computer frameworks. The organizations
having a place with this industry serve as designers and makers of the items which expand
effectiveness and generation of mobile phones, PCs i.e. personal computer, TVs i.e. television,
and other communication and information systems. It is a gigantic industry with a high
development potential, yet it is at times experience unstable cycles, similar to the semiconductor
business. As chips are getting smaller and globalization is expanding, interest for quicker and
productive innovation, interest for mechanical or technological industry in expanding.
Apple, Inc. begun as a thought of one man. This man was Steve Jobs. Jobs and his companion,
Steve Wozniak, were two secondary school dropouts living in the Silicon Valley with to great
degree imaginative and intelligent personalities (Ali, 2009). The pair collaborated while working
for Hewlett-Packard, to begin Apple, Inc. from the storm cellar of Jobs' home. The pair made the
primary Apple Computer on April 1, 1976. The rest, as it's been said, is history. The formation of
that first PC i.e. personal computer—and consequently the introduction of Steve Jobs' mind kid -
is the thing that began Jobs and Wozniak on the way that has now altered the way that numerous
individuals everywhere throughout the world utilize a computer, hunt the web, listen to music,
and even chat on the telephone. Apple, Inc. is the ideal case of how a fantasy turned into reality
—with extra special care.
Apple Incorporation is a multinational organization that makes and offers consumer hardware,
PC i.e. personal computer software or programming, and personal computer, offering in 363
stores around the world, (Ali, 2009) with worldwide sales of about US$16 billion in stock. Also,
Apple conveys computerized stimulation content through its iTunes Store. While at first offering
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just music, the store has developed to incorporate recordings, TV programs, movies, and book
recordings. With the presentation of the most recent iPod Touch and iPhone in 2008, clients
could likewise buy applications and diversions, including eBooks, for these cell phones from the
App Store in iTunes.
Apple Inc. (Apple) Is the United States based organization utilized in modernizing and
Advancement of Computers, convenient computerized music players, versatile correspondence
and media gadgets. The organization offers individualized computing items that incorporate
stationary desktops and helpful PCs, related gadgets and peripherals, and additionally outside
equipment and programming items. Programming items incorporate Mac OS X invariants from
Snow Leopard to Mountain Lion; it's chief working ("APPLE INC. AND THE EBOOK
READER", 2009) framework, the Macintosh programming including shopper, instruction, and
business situated application programming all through the United States and beyond.
Apple Inc. is the creator, organizer, publicist of PCs i.e. personal computer, compact
computerized sight and sound substance (video and music), and flexible particular/specialized
gadgets. The association furthermore offers a variety of related programming, organizations,
peripherals, sorting out courses of action, and the outsider modernized substance and
applications. The association's game plan of offerings incorporates Macintosh (Mac) enrolling
structures, the iPods line of adaptable propelled music and video players, iPhone handsets and
iPad advantageous sight and sound and handling devices. The association in a general sense
works in the US. It is headquartered in Cupertino, California and uses 46,600 delegates. Apple
Inc. offers its things worldwide through their branches in different countries other than their
online stores. Apple Inc. was set up by Steve Jobs in 1976 in the United States and transformed
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into the avant-garde in the e-music compact, mobile phone and PC i.e. personal computer
industry.
Apple has built up a one of a kind goodwill in the consumer gadgets field. The individuals who
use Apple hardware have a tendency to be excited about and faithful to the items while the
individuals ("APPLE INC. AND THE EBOOK READER", 2009) who have no experience with
Apple's items frequently criticize them as being overrated.
In 1986, he gained the PC i.e. personal computer illustrations division of Lucasfilm Ltd, which
was spun off as Pixar Animation Studios. He remained CEO and lion's shareholder until its
procurement by the Walt Disney Company in 2006. An occupation is right now an individual
from Walt Disney Company's Board of Directors. Employments' history in business has
contributed enormously to the myths of the peculiar, individualistic Silicon Valley business
visionary, accentuating the significance of configuration and comprehension the critical part feel
play out in the open offer. His work driving forward the advancement of (Singh, 2006) items that
are both useful and rich and elegant and has earned him a committed following. In mid-January
2009, Jobs took a five month time away from Apple to undergo a liver transplant.
Major products and services
Apple is a leading player in the PCs, versatile computerized music players, and cell phones. A
portion of the key items and administrations of the organization include:
MAC products:
Mac mini, MacBook, Mac Pro, MacBook Pro, iMac, MacBook Air
Mac Accessories:
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Magic Trackpad, Cinema Displays, Magic Mouse, Apple Battery Charger, Keyboard
Wi-Fi Base Stations:
AirPort Extreme, Time Capsule, AirPort Express
Servers:
Mac OS X Server, Mac OS X Snow Leopard, Xsan, Mac Os X Mavericks
Applications:
iWork, Logic Express, AppleWorks, Final Cut Studio, Apple Remote Desktop, iLife, Final Cut
Server, Final Cut Express HD, Logic Studio, QuickTime 7, Aperture
Major Products
iPod classic, iPod shuffle, iPad, iPod Nano, iPad mini, iPod touch
iPhone:
iPhone 4 G, iPhone 4 S, iPhone 5 C, iPhone 5 S, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS
iTunes:
Movies, Music, Games, Applications, Audiobooks Podcasts, TV Shows
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Apple was set up on April 1, 1976, by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne, to offer
the Apple I PC i.e. personal computer unit. They were assembled by Wozniak and initially
uncovered to people in general at the Home mix Computer Club in Silicon Valley. The Apple I
debuted in July 1976 and was sold at business sector estimation of $666.66, which is equal to
$2,723 in the year 2012 money related qualities on inflation (Casey, 2016). This foundational PC
i.e. personal computer comprised of a motherboard with Central Processing Unit (CPU),
Random Access Memory (RAM), and essential content-composed video chips. This PC i.e.
personal computer is for sure makes today's finished PCs i.e. personal computer.
Apple once in a while presents another kind of item. Hence, rather than being the pioneer, they
are a specialist second mover' by refining existing items. Compact music players and notebook
Computers are cases. Apple builds the claim of these items by making them jazzy and more
practical. They now seem ready to make compelling steps in the home PC i.e. personal computer
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showcase and to making an aggregate advanced technophile way of life whereby the house is a
mixed media hub.
Brief Chronology:
1976 With $1,300, steve jobs and Steve Wozniak
found Apple Computer, Inc.
1980 Converts to public ownership
1982 Company with annual sales of $ 1 billion
becomes the first personal computer
company.
1985 John Scully expects the helm after an
administration shakeup that causes the
departure of Jobs and a few other Apple
officials.
1991 Line of Notebook – PowerBook released
1994 Power Macintosh released
1996 Procurement of NeXT takes Steve Jobs back
to Apple as an extraordinary consultant.
1997 Steve Jobs named as interim chief executive
officer
1998 All-in-one iMac released
2000 Jobs, immovably in order as CEO, regulate a
leaner, all the more firmly engaged Apple.
2001 With the release of iPod, it also opens its first
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retail store in Virginia.
2003 Company opens its first store in Japan
2005 The arrival of a video iPod, the fifth era of the
gadget, pushes all out iPod unit sales to 30
million.
On January 9, 2007, Steve Jobs put sneaker to the stage to give a standout amongst the most
extraordinary (Casey, 2016) keynote presentations of his life—an existence loaded with amazing
keynote presentations—and ever. He said he would present a wide-screen iPod with touch
controls, a progressive cellular telephone, and a leap forward web gadget. But, it wasn't three
items. It was one item. We got it, Steve. It was the iPhone.
In first-quarter 2007, Apple dispatched its "progressive" item, the iPhone. IPhone consolidates
three ideas well known with clients: a cell telephone, a widescreen iPod, and a specialized web
gadget. The iPhone gloats "a totally new client interface taking into account a vast multi-touch
display and spearheading programming." which clients can control, just simply with their
fingers. The iPhone default Internet program will be Apple's own Safari. However, it is
interested in another programming also. The iPhone considers 8 hours of talk time. Apple sold 1
million iPhone less than three month after this item was accessible to clients. Apple anticipates
that this pattern will keep during 2008 and to achieve offers of 10 million iPhones, taking 1
percent of the cellular mobile phone market share.
Apple I was the primary item that Apple Inc. created. It was a PC i.e. personal computer with an
MOS 6502 cup timed at 1 MHz and 4Kb memory. In 1977, Apple presented Apple II, which
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turned into an exceptionally effective gadget. After that, the organization started to create Apple
II arrangement. The Apple II was trailed by Apple II, also, Apple IIe, Apple IIc, Apple IIGS,
Apple IIc Plus, and Apple IIe Card ("Apple II", 2000).
Apple presented Macintosh in 1984 that turned into an exceptionally fruitful PC. It was the first
computer including a graphical interface and a mouse for a route. The new PC sold extremely
well, pushing apple's monetary 1984 sales s to an exceptional 1.5$ billion.
For reasons as different as its rationality of thorough tasteful configuration to its distinctive
publicizing effort, Apple has set up a special reputation/goodwill in the customer
electronic/gadgets industry. This incorporates a client base that is committed to the organization
and its image, especially in the United States. Fortune magazine named Apple the most respected
organization in the United States in 2008 and on the planet in 2008, 2009, and 2010. The
organization ("Apple II", 2000) has additionally gotten broad feedback for its contractual
workers' work, natural environment, and business practices.
Major competitors of Apple Inc.
Microsoft Nokia Samsung HP Blackberry Dell
Apple, Inc.’s Values
 We trust that we're on the substance of the Earth to make incredible items.
 We have faith in the straightforward, not the complex.
 We trust that we have to possess and control the essential innovations behind the items
we make.
 We take an interest just in business sectors where we can make a critical commitment.
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