Apple's Ipod Marketing Plan

Apple's Ipod Marketing Plan

Background

There are many mobile phone features found in today's mobile phones that offer users many more capabilities than only voice calls or text messaging. Currently, the market for high-end phones like the Apple iPhone is small. Few people want Internet, video, and PDA features in one device because of the high price. The smart phone market is still relatively small compared with general phone market. The market will rapidly increase in coming years due to lower prices and greater power. Therefore, this project will present effective marketing plan for improving the iPhone product to adapt changeful mobile handset market.

Introduction to Apple Inc. and iPhone

Apple IncApple is one of the companies which are focus on designing and manufacturing consumer electronics and closely related software products.

In the September 2007, Apple operates about 200 retail stores in five countries. Their hardware products include the Macintosh line of personal computers, the iPod line of portable media players, and the iPhone and software products include the Mac OS X operating system, the iLife suite of multimedia and creativity software, and Final Cut Studio, a suite of professional audio- and film-industry software products.

Their strategy is they attempt to lock every competition out by forcing their loyal customer only can use their software and their products. Apple wants the computer to be the digital hub in your digital lifestyle. That means you have to use iPhoto for your digital images. That makes their customer always have to buy their product because only their product can cooperate each other, and following the success if iPod, Apple announced the iPhone in January 2007, and on June 29, 2007 iPhone released (Wikipedia, 2007).

iPhone

The iPhone is one of a multimedia, internet-enabled mobile phone and it has a multi-touch screen with virtual keyboard and buttons. The iPhone's function includes a camera phone, portable media player (“iPod”), text messaging and visual voicemail. It offers internet services including e-mail, web browsing, and local Wi-Fi connectivity and it also supports the Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) data technology.

The iPhone is designed by apple inc. and iPhone market focused in professionals, students, corporate users, entrepreneurs, and health care workers who want their cell phone have Internet, video, and PDA features but don't want the price too high and have greater power.

Situational Analysis

Economic Environment

Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation which was established in California, United States. The United States economy produced roughly $14 trillion worth of goods and services in 2007, making it easily the largest in the world. China is next, at about $11 trillion, according to one widely used method. Per person, the American economy has the fourth largest output - about $45,000 for every man, woman and child, on average - behind Luxembourg, Bermuda and Liechtenstein.

In 2007, the American economy began to slow significantly, mostly because of a real-estate slump and related financial problems. In 2008, forecasters are expecting the economy to grow only about 2.4 percent, up from a projected ...