The Legend of Apple

by Shireen Avasthi

Why is Apple so popular? There are so many companies out there that sell products many people consider to be better than Apple's, not to mention much more affordable. What is it that attracts people so much that they end up buying such ridiculously priced merchandise? In this article I will be exploring what makes Apple popular and what makes them currently the most valued company in the world.
There are 5 main qualities that have made Apple as successful as it is.
The first one is dedicated employees: Apple employees are enthusiastic about the products, and genuinely think that they're great and worth every penny. They are highly empathetic and offer great customer service.They want to help customers with any problems they might have, and do their best to give customers a fantastic in-store experience.

The second quality that has made Apple so successful is that Apple's engineers were creating the products more for themselves than for the customers. Apple's products are guaranteed to be good because the engineers creating them are creating something they would love to use and wouldn't be able to live without. Many engineers may just create products because they have the capability to, and could just get carried away with the amazing technology around them. This is where Apple's engineers differ; they understand that the products they make need to be accessible to everyone. When Steve Jobs was alive, he was Apple's engineers' target market. They designed the products so that they would suit him as well as be easy and fun for him to use: he was their target market (he represented the vast majority of Apple's customers).

Smart yet simple. That is the third quality that helped Apple in it's rise to the top and helped it stay there. All of Apple's products have a large variety of gadgets and gizmos, but at the same time they are simple and easy to use. As well as this, Apple makes taking decisions very easy for it's customers. Admittedly, Apple products are expensive, and this may be part of the reason that Apple only sell the latest generation of each of their products; it makes customers feel that they are paying for the absolute latest technology. All of Apple's customers know that every member of staff in an apple store knows almost everything there is to know about the four main products sold in-store; the iPod, iPad, iPhone and Mac. Without multiple models of each product, it makes the decision making process so much easier! While other companies give such a large variety of models for what is basically the same phone (and at first, the range of choices can seem great), so many options often become confusing for the average customer, and the reality of the situation is that most people want their choice to be simple and easy to make; the only real decisions needed before buying an Apple product are how much storage space you need and what colour you like the most.

The fourth quality that helps keep Apple on top is that it only creates what it can improve. Apple didn't create the MP3/4 player, the smartphone or the tablet. They did, however, take these things and put their own twist on them. In fact, you could say that Apple recreated them. Apple takes the products it already has and improves them; makes their customers want the latest thing. Although, it is important to keep in mind that when it does this, Apple always makes sure it doesn't make improvements it won't be able to top at a later date.

The fifth and final quality that keeps Apple ahead of the game is that Apple lives in the future. The main reason Apple's competitors are scared of it is that Apple is at least two years ahead of them. E.g., the iPhone 5th Generation that just been released was designed and signed off two years ago. What Apple is working on now is due for release in Autumn 2014. Just like this, the iPad and iPods were designed and signed off two years before their release. If Apple were to release their products as soon as they were completed, it could completely humiliate their competitors. 

What I don't understand is why Apple hasn't used this explosive advantage they hold.