On January 9, 2007, Apple Computer,
Inc. shortened its name to simply Apple Inc. In his Macworld Expo keynote
address, Steve Jobs explained that with their current product mix consisting of
the iPod and Apple TV as well as their Macintosh brand, Apple really wasn't
just a computer company anymore. At the same address, Jobs revealed a product
that would revolutionize an industry in which Apple had never previously
competed: the Apple iPhone. The iPhone combined Apple's first widescreen iPod
with the world's first mobile device boasting visual voicemail, and an internet
communicator able to run a fully functional version of Apple's web browser,
Safari, on the then-named iPhone OS (later renamed iOS).
iOS
evolution: iPhone and iPad
Main articles: iOS, iPhone and iPad
The first version of the iPhone
became publicly available on June 29, 2007 in selected countries/markets. It
was another 12 months before the iPhone 3G became available on July 11, 2008.
Apple announced the iPhone 3GS on June 8, 2009, along with plans to release it
later in June, July, and August, starting with the U.S., Canada and major
European countries on June 19. This 12-month iteration cycle has continued with
the iPhone 4 model arriving in similar fashion in 2010, a Verizon model was
released in February 2011, and a Sprint model in October 2011, shortly after
Jobs' death.
On February 10, 2011, the iPhone 4
was made available on both Verizon Wireless and AT&T. Now two iPod types
are multi-touch: the iPod nano and the iPod touch, a big advance in technology.
Apple TV currently has a 2nd generation model, which is 4 times smaller than
the original Apple TV. Apple has also gone wireless, selling a wireless
trackpad, keyboard, mouse, and external hard drive. Wired accessories are,
however, still available.
The Apple iPad was announced on
January 27, 2010 with retail availability commencing in April and
systematically growing in markets throughout 2010. The iPad fits into Apple's
iOS product line, being twice the screen size of an iPhone without the phone
abilities. While there were initial fears of product cannibalisation the FY2010
financial results released in Jan 2011 included commentary of a reverse 'halo'
effect, where iPad sales were leading to increased sales of iMacs and MacBooks.
Resurgence
compared to Microsoft
Since 2005, Apple's revenues,
profits, and stock price have grown significantly. On May 26, 2010 Apple's
stock market value overtook Microsoft's, and Apple's revenues surpassed those
of Microsoft in the third quarter of 2010. After giving their results for the
first quarter of 2011 Microsoft's net profits of $5.2 billion were lower for
the quarter than those of Apple Inc., which earned $6 billion in net profit for
the quarter. The late April announcement of profits by the Five companies marks
the first time in twenty years that Microsoft's profits have been lower than
Apple's., and according to Arstechnica "this would have been
'unimaginable' 10 years before."
The
Guardian reported that one of the reasons
for the change is because PC software, where Microsoft dominates, has become
less important compared to the tablet PC and smartphone markets, where Apple
has a strong presence. One reason for this was a surprise drop in PC sales in
the quarter. Another issue for Microsoft is that their online search business
has lost a lot of money, with a loss of $700 million in the first quarter of
2010. Although Microsoft's online division losses were high, even if they had
made no loss Apple's profits would have been slightly higher.
Source : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Apple_Inc.
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