“In a bit of non-Earth-shattering news, Apple this week was deemed the world’s most valuable consumer brand,” Sidney Hill writes for E-Commerce Times.
“Most consumers do, in fact, view Apple and its line of iProducts — the Pad, the Phone and the Pod — in a favorable light. It also appears that Apple will retain the upper hand in a consumer technology space that is increasingly becoming defined by mobile devices over the next several years. So, it makes perfect sense, given Millward Brown’s criteria for assessing brand value, that Apple would sit atop the rankings,” Hill writes. “It’s no mere accident that Apple finds itself in this position, however.”
Hill writes, “Apple currently is the most valuable brand because it has a clear business strategy, and it’s executing on that strategy extremely well. The strategy is to design and manufacture devices that appeal to consumers, and then create an ecosystem — in the form of content and applications — that enhances the experience of using those devices and thus engenders customer loyalty… The challenge for Apple now is finding a formula for staying on top.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: How long can Apple stay on top? For as long as they keep focused on end-user experience and not get distracted by other, less important things. Apple simply needs to continue doing their damnedest to delight customers and everything else will take care of itself.
Either by way of what MDN has suggested, or, at the least, as long as Ballmer’s running the show on the other channel.
Just keep doing what it did to get to the top will keep it on top.
Making great products that people want and supporting those products.
Q: How long can Apple stay on top?
A: As long as Ballmer and the others give them the opportunity to, whether Steve Jobs is around or not!
All things must pass.
The only way Apple falls from its roost is if it completely shoots itself in the foot or if the world ends. Nobody will unseat it while it’s at the top of its game.
Today we conquer. If some day we are defeated, well, war has its fortunes good and bad.
Ironic gravitar for that statement.
And the sooner the better.
George Harrison couldn’t have said it any better!
Yeah, if he hadn’t passed….
As long as there are photocopy machines and CEOs that operate them for a living. Or, there are consumers with tastes, class and brains and are allowed to vote with their wallets and/or mindshare.
Apple can stay on top until a better company with a better idea and better execution comes along.
Looking at the competition, I’d have to say, one hell of a long time.
Not to be morbid, but till Steve Jobs pass away. This his company, his ideas, and his lifeblood. Apple is on such a high right now, that even with all the warning signs, when that times come it has no where to go but down. One good thing for Apple is that they are building such a lead to protect then self from that inevitability.
Something of a hit whoring headline.
off course, for some fanboys this may sound like a relevant question, “how long will Apple stay on top”.
In my humble opinion, Apple didn’t have to be on top to make great products, and does not have to stay on top to keep making great products.
As long as Apple will keep making great products, there will be a market for Apple devices, iDevices or other ones. Investors may care about the top, but I don’t.
iCloud
Idiots. There is a BILLION DOLLAR feature that is going to be attached to every iDevice that Apple is selling.
Clueless idiots!
Please note: WWDC 2011 is sold out!!!
http://developer.apple.com/wwdc/
Many think this is going to be the iCloud coming out party!
Keep selling those AAPL shares so the big boys can finish buying so they can run the stock up before June 6th.
They just can’t stand it.
Apple is not on top… there is much headroom for growth… but now everyone knows Apple is on top in terms of technology and quality.
Apple will stay on top until they miss a major technological shift. The iPod sales curve to dominance is one model; the iPad instant dominance is another. The secret to Apple’s superiority is their commitment to the end user experience, and their experience and skill in user interfaces.
unless some clueless Wallstreet-type executives populated Apple’s management
Top Ten reasons why Apple might not stay on top
1) A sales guys takes over as CEO
2) Microsoft Hires Steve Jobs
3) Geeks take over the world
4) Steve Jobs has no more pet peeves
5) Apple buys Microsoft
6) Google adds “Apple” to its porn word list
7) Microsoft starts making iPad apps, and gets them infected with malware
8) California sinks into the ocean
9) A new drug make the whole human race telepathic and omniscient.
10) Apple hires Steve Ballmer as new CEO after his termination at Microsoft (same a #1 but with a vengeance)
good for them. but nobody can keep top of the world forever. Apple will fall someday. it will be very quicker than we think.
Under promise and over deliver. Surprise and delight. And in the real world, promise that iPad2 on Friday but make damn sure it gets there on Thursday!
Why is Apple sticking with old technology DVD drives (launched in 1997) when the state of the art and the industry standard format has been blu-ray since 2008. Please don’t mention other alternatives when so many people want it! This is one area where Apple is falling behind Windows Big Time!