Ch. 10 - Product Concepts

            In order for a marketer to create a marketing mix the first thing they need is a product. According to the book, consumer product can be divided into four types: convenience product, shopping product, specialty product, and unsought product. An Apple product can be classified as shopping product because is usually more expensive than a convenience product and is found in fewer stores. The basic product concepts for the company are “think different”, it means the company innovates new way to do old things or do new things that have never been done before, for example, the product Iphone fully interprets that idea. Before Iphone was introduced, nobody had any idea about what is smart phone and nobody thought about to put opera system into a phone until Apple did it. And “make complexity simple.” As Steve Jobs said "the best technology is invisible - things work like magic".

            Apple has different product mixes such as Iphone, Ipad, Mac, Ipod, and Itunes, and there are several product items under each product line, for example, right now the company is offering four types of Ipad. The most recent one is Ipad Air, and Ipad Mini with retina display and then regular Ipad mini and Ipad 2. Every product targets to different group of consumers to attract them with different preferences, to increase sales and profits. The company’s product quality, functional, and style modification are changing frequently in order to respond to changes in the environment and increase the advantages in market competition. Beside the company’s major products, Apple also sells convenience products such as their white headphones, Ipad and Iphone cases, Mac laptop keyboard casing to place over your keypads, case to store your phone,ipod and Ipad touch as you exercise.

            Planned obsolescence is always a change in Apple product as their come out with new forms of technology. The Iphone 5 would find obsolete while some people have either 5c or 5s even though I’m still using the 4s.

            Just a month ago Apple passed Coca-Cola as most valuable brand in the world. There is a funny thing that back to a decade ago the fruit apple would appear to people’s mind when someone says “apple”. However, nowadays, it’s changed. The Apple logo will appear to people’s mind instead the fruit. This is the power of brand.