EE204: Business Management for
Electrical Engineers and Computer Scientists

Strategy

Read

  1. Fill out class info card here
  2. Read: What is strategy? (HBS course materials)
  3. Review: Price/Features matrix
  4. Read: Apple Inc. in 2015 (HBS course materials)
  5. Skim: Articles on Apple's recent moves and the consumer electronics market

Case Summary

At the end of 2014, Apple Inc. recorded the most profitable quarter of any firm in history, and its market capitalization soon topped $700 billion. 'Apple Inc in 2015' explores the history of Apple, its successes under Jobs, its continued growth under Tim Cook, and the challenges facing the company in 2015. With iPod sales continuing their freefall, tablet sales in decline, and the Macintosh's market share remaining small, Apple was increasingly dependent on the iPhone to drive its growth. Could Cook continue Apple's dominance in the smartphone market in the face of growing competition? Could he revitalize the iPad business, become a leader in payments, with Apple Pay, and replicate Apple's success in other device categories, such as the Apple Watch, the first new product the company had released since 2010?

Discussion Questions

  1. What strategies led to Apple's initial success in personal computers?
  2. Who were Apple's PC competitors and how did they compete?
  3. What root causes led to Jobs' departure from Apple?
  4. What strategies did the new Apple CEOs implement? Why didn't they work?
  5. What strategic activities did Steve Jobs do to return Apple to being a successful company?
  6. Where would you place Apple and its competitors on the price features matrix for smartphones?
  7. What is Apple's current strategy under Tim Cook? Will it lead to sustainable success?