Developing and Managing Products

For Apple, design is the starting point for every product and it is the most important aspect of a product. When it comes to the New-Product Development Process found in Exhibit 11.1, designers have close to no limitations for generating ideas in terms of costs or manufacturing needs. Also, as mentioned in my previous blog (Products Concepts) simplicity is the main focus of a product's design, in which designers make it their main priority for every product. An example of how an Apple product (iPhone 5c) is being developed once its has fulfilled the the first four required steps within the New-Product Development Process, is shown in the video to the left, starting at 1:35.

According to the book, new products are important to sustain growth, increase revenues, and profits, and replace obsolete items. An example of recent new apple products that did exactly that are the iPhone 5s and 5c. But in order for new products to accomplish all that, product managers have to strategically plan out the product based on what consumers want and what their willing to pay, in which innovation is they key. Innovation, which is major factor in each Apple product, is something that product managers must include when planning for a new product, without it Apple wouldn't be known as the company it is known today. An example of Innovation from a recent new Apple product is the iPhone 5s fingerprint scan, which may be a small innovation, but it is something that has never been seen or done in other phones. With consistent innovation, Apple has no problem sustaining growth, increasing revenues, and being superior.

Social Media and Marketing

Most companies today use social media which, is any tool or service that uses the Internet to facilitate conversations, to market their products or services.

Surprisingly, Apple, the world's biggest tech company, is not a fan of social media. But, it has integrated social apps such as Facebook and Twitter into it's mobile and Mac Operating systems. Also, Apple has no official accounts, instead it has active accounts on Twitter and Facebook for it's sub-brands like the App Store, iTunes, and iBooks.

With Apple, not being involved in social media, the company still manages to market there products, not by the company itself but by its fans or loyal customers, who discuss about Apple's new products through blogs and Twitter.

Also, because Apple believes it should remain isolated from social media, it forbids its own employees to discuss about the company or post comments/tweets that is company-related.

Even without social media, Apple is still ranked as the #1 Best Global Brand in the World as of 2013.

Product Concepts

Apple inc. is a global brand that is known for there innovative products. It's products and logo can be easily recognized and identified by its customers and consumers who have shopped within the markets, that apple has marketed in

From when Apple first started out, its products where considered as specialty products, but today there considered more as shopping products because they can be compared to other brands who offer similar products, such as Samsung and Google, and so the consumer would have to decide upon himself , on which brand he will choose for that product.

Today, Apple has a variety of products and products lines that have been modified throughout its years of existence. There concept for each individual product they have ever created is simplicity, in which the hardware and operational system of the product are two important factors.

For instance, from its earliest years, Apple has always made it products to look simple, with similar color schemes as shown in the photo below. 

Even though Apple re-modifies and improves each of there older products for there newer products, they still manage to maintain the product's simplistic look and use.

Personal Selling and Sales Managment

For most companies, personal selling may be one of there most effective ways of selling goods and services. Unlike advertising and sales promotions, which sells indirectly, in personal selling, a sales person is always there to satisfy you as the customer and provide explanations and answer your questions.

As mentioned in my previous blog post (Marketing channel and Retailing), Apple teaches its employees not to sell but rather to help solve customer's problems, therefore they work on building relationships between there customers instead of following up on a sale, which from my experience I can say that is true. Not only does it increases there chances of selling a product but it also increases there chances of gaining a customers loyalty. Also, in every Apple store, you have sections of products neatly scattered all the over the store. This allows customers to try out the the different types of products and learn more about a product they are unfamiliar with, and because employees are always around helping out, they are your main source for information on the product you are looking for

For example, lets say theirs a customer who's interested in buying a Mac computer but is undecided  between the different types of Mac, such as the Macbook Pro, Macbook Air, and the iMac, the employee assisting that customer would have to gather information from them, such as there interests, hobbies, and daily life which is done through a comforting conversation. Once that is done, the employee therefore leans the customer to a Mac that would work for them based on the information that was gathered.