“One of the more interesting questions I get asked about as an industry analyst who’s followed Apple since 1981 is why Apple is so successful,” Tim Bajarin writes for TIME Magazine.
“Most people have a working understanding of the fact that Apple lost the PC wars to Microsoft, and only nominally understand that when Apple created the iPod and then the iPhone, the company started to go in a new direction,” Bajarin writes. “And anyone who’s gone into an Apple store knows full well that Apple’s customer service and stores represent the gold standard for selling and supporting tech gadgets. But beyond that, the reasons why Apple is really successful are still a mystery to many.”
MacDailyNews Take: You only “lose” war when you surrender. Apple has never done so. Quite the opposite, in fact: Apple Macintosh unit sales have outgrown the Window PC market for 24 consecutive quarters (6 years!) and counting.
If this is what “losing” looks like, more “losses,” please!
Bajarin writes, “The reasons the company is successful can be boiled down to six key principles that make it very hard for competitors to compete with Apple.
1. For any product that Apple creates, the people who create it have to want it themselves
2. The products have to be easy to use
3. Keep things simple
4. Offer great customer service and in-store experiences
5. Apple only makes a product if Apple can do it better
6. Apple stays at least two years ahead of its competitors
Read more in the full article here.
Related articles:
Why Apple is winning – and will continue to win for some time – February 17, 2012
Apple’s unrelenting Mac attack on the PC market – October 31, 2011
Apple Mac tops American Customer Satisfaction Index customer satisfaction for 8th consecutive year – September 20, 2011
American Customer Satisfaction Index: Apple Mac dominates for seventh straight year – September 21, 2010
ACSI: Apple Mac again leads Windows PCs by wide margin in consumer satisfaction – August 18, 2009
Study: Apple beats Dell and HP in customer satisfaction – June 26, 2009
J.D. Power: Apple iPhone ranks highest in smartphone customer satisfaction – April 30, 2009
Survey: Apple Mac users report highest level of satisfaction by far – February 19, 2009
ChangeWave: Apple Mac holds its corporate share; clearly leads in corp customer satisfaction – December 31, 2008
ChangeWave: Apple iPhone’s ‘very satisfied’ rating more than double that of RIM’s BlackBerry Storm – December 22, 2008
J.D. Power: Apple iPhone ranks highest in business wireless smartphone customer satisfaction – November 06, 2008
ACSI: Customer satisfaction rockets for Apple’s Mac; rest of Windows PC industry drops again – August 19, 2008
ChangeWave: Mac OS X Leopard satisfaction far outpaces Vista; Apple Mac strong despite PC slowdown – March 26, 2008
ChangeWave: Apple iPhone maintains big lead in customer satisfaction; top choice among likely buyers – February 07, 2008
ChangeWave survey shows big Apple Mac sales, very high Mac OS X Leopard, very low Vista satisfaction – January 17, 2008
ChangeWave: Apple’s iPhone races to huge lead in customer satisfaction – October 18, 2007
Apple Mac desktops, notebooks top PC Magazine’s Annual Reader Satisfaction survey – again – September 18, 2007
Survey: Apple iPhone nabs unprecedented 92% satisfaction rating (plus likes and dislikes) – August 16, 2007
Study: Apple iPhone owners ‘off the charts’ satisfied with device – July 13, 2007
Microsoft’s customer satisfaction drops following Windows Vista launch – May 17, 2007
Apple’s secret ingredient? A large group of very satisfied customers – April 10, 2007
Apple Mac desktops, notebooks top PC Magazine’s Annual Reader Satisfaction survey – again – August 22, 2006
Apple Computer tops PC satisfaction study – August 15, 2006
Apple Mac desktops, portables top PC Magazine’s 2005 Reader Satisfaction survey – August 24, 2005
Apple continues to lead in customer satisfaction, Dell loses more ground – August 16, 2005
Apple Macintosh leads in personal computer customer satisfaction – August 24, 2004
Apple Macs top PC Magazine’s ‘17th Annual Reader Satisfaction Survey’ – August 10, 2004
#2 and #3 are the same thing
Without reading the article, I’d say not the same thing. Keeping things simple could easily pertain to product lines, organizational structure, documentation, packaging, branding.
The two attributes enhance each other, but they’re not the same.
Like John Daily says, I think #3 is referring more to Apple’s product line. Samsung currently sells more than 60 phones, Apple sells 3.
Ever looked at HP or Dell’s websites? They sell many types of computers, I’d wager at least 40 different models. Apple sells 5, in varying sizes.
Apple doesn’t compete with (insert competitor name here).
Waste of time reading this one
It is these 6 reasons and the fact that Apple is willing and able to change how it does things in order to make a great product that sets it apart. Everyone else is racing for market share and lowest price point. Neither of which make for memorable products or consumer loyalty.
The standards for writers have definitely gone down. Years ago, no one would have gotten away with a list this badly constructed. It’s not parallel. it not only flunks the Chicago Manual of Style, it gets a lower score on the SAT.
Missed a capital there, Ken.
B-
It’s being said that Apple isn’t actually successful. The company is said to be merely lucky and their luck runs out tomorrow. Luck the only reason that would warrant a current valuation based on $0 future growth.
These are great, I supose.
But te most important thing, based on my knoledge, that makes apple so successful is something not all companies have. Apple, well mostly jos, thought out of the box. Apple comes up with soe of the most unexpected, yet great ideas.
Let’s look at smartphones for example. Before the iPhone, what were smartphones? Compare them you your regular talk and text (basic) phones. How much different was the concept of using a smartphone from using a regular one?
Well lets compare:
Regular phone:
• Small screen
• type on a physical keypad.
• some had the tracking ball thing (a step in the right direction but not enough to have a long term impact)
Smartphone (prior to iPhone):
• screen (no touch)
• Keyboard (it may have an alphabetical one but point remains it is still a physica keyboard like those in older phones)
• Track ball thing
• more features.
Let’s face it, the major advancement in the early smartphones was mainly the software. The hardware did not change much. Nor did the concept….
Back then, the main thought was probably “is it posible to make this do more” instead of “is there a better, easier and more intuitive way of doing this?”
So, thats something not every company seems to have. They have the desire to evolve. But they tend to think more concervative than innovative.