The company for most of its existence operated as a niche player, essentially utilizing a differentiated focus strategy. The current strategy, however, has been to downplay the exclusivity it long sought to cultivate and focus on a broad differentiation strategy instead (Burrows et al., 2007). Apple has continued in recent years with this strategy. The company has continued to release different iPhone version and has introduced the iPad in order to revitalize the moribund tablet computer market. The company has continued to garner success in the mainstream, and that has translated into substantial gains in revenue, profit and stock price. In most products, this has also translated into market share, though conspicuously the company still holds a single digit share in the personal computer market.

The company still faces intense competition in most of its product lines, and competes against different firms in these lines. However, Apple still has opportunity, particular in growth in personal computers. The company is also well-poised to capitalize on new modes of computer technology usage. While its present product line consists essentially of Apple-fied versions of pre-existing products, the company has also built a couple of new strengths for itself that will help it to pursue a mass market strategy. The first is that it has learned much about the ways in which consumers use their technology and in doing so is in a better...

In addition, Apple has built its brand considerably over recent years. As the result of this, the company has moved its brand from niche to mainstream and bolstered both brand recognition and reputation substantially.
These tactics and the other recent moves by the company are congruent with Apple's new strategy to move into the mass market with its technologies. The company is positioning itself to be the market leader in emergent consumer technologies by virtue of its financial strength, branding, marketing expertise and its understanding of consumer behavior. Over the long run, Apple's current tactics support its move into the broad differentiation strategy. The company had succeeded by playing to its strengths in the 1980s, failed by pursuing non-core activities in the 1990s and has succeeded again by returning to its strategic roots, albeit this time with a much grander vision.

Works Cited:

Burrows, P., Hesseldahl, a., & Crocket, R. (2007). WELCOME to PLANET APPLE; how the high tech maverick became a global trendsetter. Business Week. July 09. 2007, Issue 4042,-page 88 http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=0&did=1299770581&SrchMode=1&sid=15&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1236358420&clientId=29440

Apple, Inc. Retrieved August 26, 2009 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc.