Answer to Question #176933 in Management for Manyela

Question

Apple’s Design Process

No discussion of innovation and design would be complete without examining BusinessWeek’s perennial “No. 1 Most Innovative Company,” Apple. Both Apple’s product and service design prowess are legendary. Michael Lopp, senior engineering manager at Apple, describes his company’s approach to design as delivering a series of presents to the customer, “really good ideas wrapped up in other really good ideas” (i.e., pioneering software in elegant hardware in beautiful packaging) to replicate that Christmas morning experience.

Pixel Perfect Mockups

Paired Design Meetings

Pony Meetings

 A) Describe Apple-designed products which you find special as a consumer? [10 Marks]

 B) Explain why have no competitors caught up with Apple? Do you think Apple can sustain its success with so few products?  [10 Marks]

 C) What would you ask Apple to design next and why? [5 Marks]  

Answer 1

a) Apple prioritizes the overall consumer experience, including customer care, after-sales assistance, and even retail sales. All of this, though, will be for naught if the product design itself is of poor quality. This involves ensuring that the product is made of high-quality materials.

b)When it comes to user-friendliness, they're the king: Simply put, if you're using the iOS or OSX operating systems, it's quite easy to navigate and understand. Apple takes pride in restricting overall customizability in order to make it more organized and understandable.

Apple's company has many sources of long-term competitive advantage. Its competitive edge has become stronger over time, owing to its focus on technical advancement and customer service. Apple's business model is often regarded as one of the most successful in the world.

c) Looking ahead ten years, the Apple of 2030 can continue to upgrade its hardware products and even add some new ones, but with a new twist, Apple will also extend its brand to grow a suite of bundled consumer services. That will be a significant obstacle for the tech behemoth, but it will also present an opportunity.