Dubai: Apple as a brand is “aspirational” and it has proven it in the solid quarterly results, said an industry expert.
Jyoti Lalchandani, group vice-president and regional MD of research firm International Data Corporation, said that Apple can improve its brand image further but it largely depends on new product developments and tie-ups.
For example, the Apple Watch, boosting sales in some of the large emerging markets worldwide and Apple’s recent foray into the enterprise market. Further success in these areas could enable Apple to grow even further this year.
With the record results, Apple CEO Tim Cook is slowly emerging from the shadow of late Steve Jobs and is beginning to reveal a more assertive side as the frontman to lead the company. He is in this fourth year as CEO of Apple.
Many Apple watchers have called Cook an unemotional person and not as a competent caretaker of the company.
Recent success enjoyed by the firm proves that he is the right leader, Lalchandani said.
Strategic initiative
“Apple needs to develop the enterprise market for its devices, as it is one of the untapped markets Apple has yet to deeply penetrate and should be a strategic initiative for the future growth of the company. However, to more effectively compete in the business-to-business space, Apple needs strategic relevance within the enterprise market,” he said.
Nadeem Khanzadah, Head of OmniChannel Retail at Jumbo Electronics, said that when Apple came into the consumer mainstream, it always stood out as an aspirational brand. People aspire to buy an Apple product to be noticed.
“It is a brand for whom the maximum number of third-party accessories are created and sold in the world. The third-party accessories for Apple are the biggest in consumer electronics,” he said.
There is a “big cool factor” attached to Apple as many celebrities and professionals use the products and it got accelerated with the launch of large-screen phones even though they came out late.
