Chapter 11: Developing and Managing Products

     Known for its memorable advertisements and recognizable designs all around the world, Apple has been labeled in today's society as the status symbol of technology. There's something about their products that just exudes quality, the price being a big factor but high prices are not usually a selling point. So, what could it be?

     Steve Jobs was perhaps Apple's greatest asset up until his unfortunate death in 2011. With him on the team, the amount of innovation was astounding and seemed to never end. Each contemporary product of Jobs' mind and creation was a groundbreaking success with the most notable being the iPod, which changed the mobile audio player industry. Now, people were able to easily carry large amounts of audio files on one device and listen to their collection wherever and whenever. This would demolish the large market share and hot item status that belonged to the Sony Walkman product line. Expanding on the idea of the iPod, Apple introduced the iPod nano being a more compact version, then the iPod Touch which gave rise to a new industry of mobile applications. There was also the iPhone, which was similar to the iPod Touch in design, but with the functionality of a cellular phone. The iPad, when introduced, slowly became a substitute for laptops and portable computers.

     Each product line was generally accepted as the new standard for its industry. None of these products were the first of their kind, but had expanded on the fundamental concepts of such devices and developed a superior product that could not be beaten in versatility. When Apple develops a product, design and functionality are of the utmost utmost importance, but it's the company's vision for the future and evolution of each product that acts as the vehicle towards success.