Chapter 2- Strategic Planning for Competitive Advantage 



Apple is actually a well known company that is very successful. In order for them to become so successful, they had to go through many trial and errors through strategic planning. According to the MKTG 8 book, Strategic planning is the managerial process of creating and maintaining a fit between the organization's objectives and resources and the evolving market opportunities. To get to the point that they are at now, Apple had goals. According to one of Apple's Senior Vice President of Design, Sir Jonathan Ive, he said that Apple's main goals isn't just about making money. Their goal is to make good products because if the products are good and the consumers are happy. If the consumers are happy, the customer satisfaction will go up and they'll make money regardless. 

According to the SWOT analysis in 2015, Apples strengths are they are one of the top selling phones in the world, and the customers are loyal. Nowadays customers have multiple Apple products. Also brand reputation fits in well, due to the fact that many new products are coming out, most people are part of Apple so when they hear a new product is coming out, they automatically look into it. The weaknesses are high prices. Even though when a new phone comes out, the older products prices drop, but no one is looking to get an older product. Everyone wants the most recent and without an upgrade a new apple product can be anywhere up to $1000, maybe even more. The opportunities are, that even though other products are being made, Apple still has an advantage because their name is out there already. So while upcoming phones are being made, Apple can simply improve their products and loyal customers would already be on their side. A threat to Apple though is other products are starting to have similar traits in them that Apple has but they are offering the products for less, so if consumers see that they can get the same exact thing just in a different product, they will obviously go with the lease expensive one. 

Apple comes out with new phones every year for people that want a new phone or want to upgrade their phone for better. But to keep other Apple users that are satisfied with their phones up to date, they come out with a different Ios every year. For example, next week, September 16th, Ios 9 is supposed to come out and it will support all the Apple products that are already out. But also the new Iphone 6s and Iphone 6s Plus are coming out.