It has been 12 years since Steve Jobs cofounder and former CEO

It has been 12 years since Steve Jobs, co-founder and former CEO of Apple, had debut their first phone. According to Arne Holst in his article, iPhone market share of shipments worldwide 2007-2019, roughly 10 percent of all smartphones sold in the second quarter of this year were Apple’s phone line, the Iphone. So it is no secret that Apple is dominating the smartphone industry. As compared to its competitors, Apple, despite its price range and limited variety, has a massive following of an estimated 900 million iPhone users, according to Neil Cybart in his article named Apple’s billion users, and this may be due to their unique software, marketing strategies, and brand loyalty.

Apple’s Software

Apple’s unique software, known as iOS, offer users a better experience compared to its competitors. According to Sam Costello, Apple is the only producer of the Iphone, which leads to the reason why it is the only company who has access to its software.

Because of this, Apple has full control on what they want users to access. Due to Apple having full access to its software they do not allow third party applications, which means that users are limited to what

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Apple offers, despite this consumers still gravitate towards Apple’s eco system because Apple has been known for their minimalistic software interface, their security features, and how their products work well with each other.

Apple’s software interface, though imitated by multiple Chinese companies (Byford), still have consumers gravitating towards their products due to their execution of a minimalistic design.

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This design offers users both style and practicality. When users access their phones they will not have to deal with it being cluttered with widgets and other variables. This software interface has been updated multiple times since they launched their iPhone, despite this they have always stayed true to their first design.

In addition to that, Apple over the years has maintained their security features. Apple routinely updates their phone to further strengthen the security to protect the information of their users. With 13 major updates under Apple’s belt, it is no surprise why users would choose Apple. In addition to that, their App store goes through a tougher, as compared to other smartphone softwares, process when wanting to release an application to users. According to Divya Kumar, due to Androids open market for third party applications, it is more prone to viruses and malware when compared to Apple.

To top those software features, Apple has an algorithm which makes their products work well with each other. More known as Apple’s ecosystem, their products such as iPhone, iPad, apple watch, and air pods, synchronize with one another. This is possible when users connect

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these devices through their iCloud account. Apple did not limit this to each user but Apple has also made their own applications such as FaceTime and iMessage which allows users to communicate to friends and family who use Apple devices.

Apple’s Marketing

According to Lucy Handley, Apple’s marketing is what makes their products desirable by consumers. Their consumers have been known to camp out Apple stores on the release day of their new products. But, what are the marketing strategies that Apple uses to their advantage?

The first would be how they understand their target market. According to Gaille Brandon’s article, “18 Key Apple Target Market Demographics”, he stated that “Although Apple is considered a premium brand and many products come with a premium price tag, teens are consider one of the primary Apple target market demographics. This is because teens are attracted to the value of an iPod and this translates into wanting iPhones, Macs, and other products later on in life.” From this, Apple uses their knowledge on what the current trends are to address the teenagers.

The second would be how they make their products seem like a luxury. Apple, for many years now has been recognized for the prices they set for their products, an example being a Php 52,995 Iphone as the “cheaper” model. According to Freitas as quoted by Linda Federico-O’Murchu, Android users reason to buying their products is because it is the more affordable

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option, while Apple users choose Apple’s products because they feel superior due to its distinguishable design.

The final strategy would be how Apple over the years became the trend setter in the smart phone industry. Apple has been known for setting trends which then later will become the “standard” in the phone market, some notable trends being finger print scanners, the removal of the headphone jack and the notch. Due to these consumers want to experience the new trends which is why they purchase these Apple devices.

Apple’s Brand Loyalty

What truly sets Apple apart from their competitors is how their consumers are loyal to the brand. Customers prefer Apple’s products for their functionality and the customer satisfaction the products provide. Lastly, the company’s history is what makes Apple’s users stay.

Apple users’ argument to why they buy Apple’s products is for its functionality. According to Linda Federico-O’Murchu, when it comes to brand loyalty between the two rivals, Apple and Android, Apple users’ defense is they want to use a phone which does not involve much variables, while Android users tend to be more techie and want more opportunities to customize their devices. Apple users just want a phone that could delivery their needs.

In addition to that Apple users are satisfied with what they get. Apple devices have a slower deterioration rate, as compared to other phone brands. According to Alison DeNisco Rayome, she stated in her article, Here’s how long your iPhone will really last, iPhones from 2013 up to today have a lifespan of roughly 4 and ? years. Due to this consumers prefer choosing Apple because they know that the product they will get is of quality.

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Finally, Apple’s history plays a huge role to how they have built a brand loyal consumer basis. Apple’s history shows how Apple was a modern innovator. Through Apple’s history, consumers tend to pay tribute to the innovations that Steve Jobs have brought to the world. Due to Steve Jobs, modern technology has revolutionized through his achievements. He revolutionized the smartphone, was first to deliver the commercially available personal computer, and revolutionized how people listened to music through the iPod (Arun).

Apple truly knows how their company and market work to their advantage. As seen on this research Apple has developed and understood what they are dealing with thought the years. But, at the end of the day it is still up to the consumer which brand they would like to be apart of, all that matters is what makes them happy.