IPhone

Introduction

Steve Jobs announced the iPhone in January 2007. The iPhone was an industry-changing invention, which saw Apple’s stock share price double by 2008. From a shareholder’s point of view, the iPhone was an outstanding success in the market. This success of the iPhone can be attributed to the features of the product, as well as the efficient and effective marketing carried out by the firm. It was a real show of the experience that Apple had in marketing strategies.

Main Factors that Led to the Successful Launch of the iPhone in 2007

As mentioned earlier, the launch of the iPhone was an outstanding success. There are various factors that can be attributed to this. To start with, the features of the product boosted the success of its launch. This is because it combined the features of its iPod music player and a smart phone which the functions to surf the web. This was a feature that pleased most of the consumers. It caused them to buy it in large quantities. The 3.5-inch touch-sensitive screen was also a catch for any consumer at the time. With all its outstanding features, the iPhone had a high battery life. It could go on for more than 7 hours on constant calls and sending of emails. This was a feature that compensated its high price for consumers.

Secondly, the iPhone’s success can be attributed to Apple’s differentiation of its product from that of competitors. At the time of the launch, other companies were also producing smart phones (Bradberry, 2011). Apple Company kept emphasizing the 3.5-inch screen to show that this was not just another smart phone. Mr. Jobs kept insisting that the iPhone had a touch-sensitive keypad and commented that he hated keypads in his research. This made the product seem so different from the other pre-existing products in the market. This gave it an upper hand and boosted the success of its launch.

Product promotion is the third and most significant factor that led to the success of the iPhone launch. Apple used traditional publications as well as online pundits in the promotion of the product. This made it known to the public and consumers who were interested in such products. The first advertisement of the iPhone went by the name “hello”. It occurred on February 25, 2007. It was aired on ABC and many people got to know about it. Subsequent advertisements started to appear in the Wall Street journal, online pundits, like Gizmodo, and other sources, which also aided in the success of the product.

Maintaining the Position since 2007

Since 2007, Apple has been able to maintain the position of the iPhone on the top of the market. This is because the sale of the iPhone, even in recent times, has been remarkably constant. The iPhone has been continuously growing in terms of popularity among the consumers. Even after the death of Steve Jobs, the product has continued to be advertised and promoted to boost sales and maintain Apple’s position in the stock market.

Therefore, the success of this product has been continuous, which has been achieved through various methods. The main method that Apple has used to maintain its success with the iPhone is advertising. They have always made sure that it has been at the front of newspapers across the whole country. This made the consumers know that it was still at the top and was the best product for them in the market. The iPhone has also incorporated new technologies and applications of late, which has increased its popularity among the consumers. For example, they have recently incorporated the mobile map technology to cope with potential competitors, like Google (Trautschold 2010). Enhancement of features, like the mapping experience, has kept the iPhone at the top even after its successful launch. The company has used these and many other methods in ensuring that the iPhone remains at the top of the list in the stock market. It has maintained the pace that it set in 2007 by moving with time and effective marketing.

Conclusion

Apple’s experience with the iPhone is one to be emulated by anyone in business. Any company that may wish to launch a new product should learn a lot from the launch of Apple’s iPhone. It is clear that effective marketing strategies are vital to success in the launching of a product. The features of the product also matter since they create customer satisfaction. Therefore, the IPhone release was an educating experience for Apple Company, as well as all other companies around the world.