APPLE INC
APPLE INC
Apple Inc. is an American multinational technology company that specializes in consumer electronics, software and online services. It is the world's most valuable company, the fourth-largest personal computer vendor by unit sales and second-largest mobile phone manufacturer.
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As the market for personal
computers expanded and evolved throughout the 1990s, Apple lost considerable
market share to the lower-priced duopoly of the Microsoft Windows operating
system on Intel-powered PC clonesIn 1997, weeks away from bankruptcy, the
company bought NeXT to resolve Apple's unsuccessful operating system strategy
and entice Jobs back to the company. Over the next decade, Jobs guided Apple
back to profitability through a number of tactics including introducing the
iMac, iPod, iPhone and iPad to critical acclaim, launching memorable
advertising campaigns, opening the Apple Store retail chain, and acquiring
numerous companies to broaden the company's product portfolio. Jobs resigned in
2011 for health reasons, and died two months later. He was succeeded as CEO by
Tim Cook.
Apple became the first
publicly traded U.S. company to be valued at over $1 trillion in August 2018,
then $2 trillion in August 2020, and most recently $3 trillion in January 2022.
The company sometimes receives criticism regarding the labor practices of its
contractors, its environmental practices, and its business ethics, including
anti-competitive practices and materials sourcing. Nevertheless, the company
enjoys a high level of brand loyalty, and is ranked as one of the world's most
valuable brands.