Many tech companies are known to troll rival brands. In fact, healthy ‘trolling’ has been part of the corporate world for years now. However, Apple is not known to do so. But in a rare event, Apple is reportedly subtly trolling its rival music streaming platform Spotify. The Cupertino based company is taking a dig at spotify after the latter fell out with popular musician Neil Young. As songs of the 76-year-old rock star are not available on spotify anymore, Apple Music is said to be courting Young and his fans with notifications. The streaming service is also calling itself “The home of Neil Young.” The platform is also reportedly showing albums and songs of the artist in the front on its ‘Browse’ section.
Apple is an American multinational technology company that specializes in consumer electronics, software and online services. Apple is the largest information technology company by revenue (totaling US$365.8 billion in 2021) and, as of January 2021, it is the world's most valuable company, the fourth-largest personal computer vendor by unit sales and second-largest mobile phone manufacturer. It is one of the Big Five American information technology companies, alongside Amazon, Alphabet Inc. (Google), Meta Platforms (Facebook), and Microsoft.
Founded as Apple Computer Company on April 1, 1976, by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne to develop and sell Wozniak's Apple I personal computer. It was incorporated by Jobs and Wozniak as Apple Computer, Inc. in 1977, and sales of its computers, among them the Apple II, grew quickly. It went public in 1980, to instant financial success. Over the next few years, Apple shipped new computers featuring innovative graphical user interfaces, such as the original Macintosh, announced in a critically acclaimed advertisement, "1984", directed by Ridley Scott. The high cost of its products and power struggles between executives caused problems. In 1985, Wozniak stepped back from Apple amicably, while Jobs resigned to found NeXT, taking some Apple employees with him.
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 clones (also known as "Wintel"). In 1997, the company bought NeXT to resolve Apple's unsuccessful operating system strategy and entice Jobs back to the company. 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.
The company receives criticism regarding the labor practices of its contractors, its environmental practices, and its business ethics, including anti-competitive practices and materials sourcing. The company enjoys a high level of brand loyalty, and is ranked as the world's most valuable brand. 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.
You must be logged in to post a comment.