In this article, we will see the Apple competitors analysis with their names.
Introduction
In today’s time, a customer has a wide range of variety to pick and choose from. Every company has its flagships and features that are distinct and make them stand out in an array of similar products. Their main product is the iPhone. They have made other products such as IPad, products for the computer market like MacBook, smartwatches, audio devices, etc.
Apple most definitely is leading in the markets of the United States for smartphones, having a market share of 61.07%. Apple’s main competitors in the United States for smartphones are Samsung, LG, Google, and Motorola. While it does dominate the markets of the United States, Apple has a second place as the world’s largest smartphone company. Apple’s share in the global market is 26.91%, only behind Samsung. Samsung has a global market of 29.14%. Subsequently are Xiaomi, Huawei, and Oppo having a global market of 10.02%, 09.83%, and 5.02% respectively.
In the highly competitive personal computer market, Apple holds 4th place for being the largest in the world. The global presence of Apple in the personal computer market is 8.2%. The main competitors of Apple in this aspect of the market are Lenovo which has a 24.9% share in the market, HP Inc. holding a share of 21.2%, then Dell with 16.4% and with Asus and Acer with 6% and 5.9% respectively.
Apple dominates the tablet market with 56.62%. The nearest competition that they have is Samsung with a market share of 24.06% only. Other brands that are its competitors in this area are Amazon with 5.44% shares, Huawei with 3.97%, and lastly Asus with 1.62%.
Competitors
Smartphones
Samsung
Samsung is a Korean brand with a huge product lineup. It was founded by Lee Byung-Chill in 1938. It now ranks among the world’s top 10 most valued companies. It is Apple’s top competitor with regards to smartphones. Samsung phones greatly affect the sale of iPhones in the global market. One of the major reasons for Samsung being the world’s largest smartphone company is the company’s ability to produce phones at affordable prices.
Both these companies also had, what one can call a corporate battle in 2010. Samsung- which was at the time also a supplier to Apple- came out with a product that was very much like an iPhone for its Galaxy lineup. Apple’s late CEO Steve Jobs enraged and did not take this move lying back. But Samsung did not deter and stayed put.
Samsung has had its hand in the industries deeper and for a longer time. It has also been a global force much longer as compared to Apple. But on the contrary, Apple’s journey and its rise have been nothing but focused and meteoric.
It is completely coherent for these two massive global companies to be at loggerheads with each other. They do converge and modify but their stark contrasts always remain.
Google entered the smartphone community in 2010 by introducing and releasing its first smartphone- Nexus One. This phone put all iPhone users in a dilemma as everyone wanted to explore a phone by the world’s most reliable search engine.
The conclusion drawn on the rating of various customers over the years keeping in mind all the latest releases by both the companies is that Apple beats Google in hardware but Google triumphs in terms of the web.
iPhone 12 and Pixel 5, which are the latest releases of both brands, were launched in 2020. The major differences between both these smartphones are the operating system and the price. The Pixel 5 is priced at $699 while the price of an iPhone 12 starts at $799. The operating systems are iOS and Android for Apple and Google respectively. Any user who has been plugged into one of them will not switch to the other one.
Huawei
Founded in 1987, Huawei is a multinational corporation from China. It employs more than 180,000 individuals by having operations in over 170 countries. The CEO of Huawei, Ren Zhengfei has gone on record to state that it seeks inspiration from Apple and he and his daughter are Apple users.
Huawei made a place for itself in the market by having sold 59 million smartphones in 2019’s first quarter. In contrast to Huawei’s impressive sales, the sales of Apple’s iPhone dropped to 36.4 million, seeing a fall of 30 % in the first quarter of 2019.
Both these companies are aiming for the future by announcing very promising products.
OPPO Electronics Corp.
OPPO is a mobile company and consumer electronic brand from China, just like Huawei. It was founded in 2001. In 2016 it gained the 8th spot in the world for smartphones and by 2017 it jumped up to the 4th rank. It has impressed its almost 200 million customers worldwide with its groundbreaking experience of photography. It is also because of its camera quality and the experience satisfaction that it now counted to be Apple’s biggest competitor globally.
Computers
Lenovo
Headquartered in Beijing, China as well as in North Carolina, United States of America, and Singapore. Lenovo is a multinational technology company. It has a market value of more than $7.24 trillion. Its products are available in 180 markets globally which are mostly the ones that Apple covers too. Even though the company employs about 63,000 which is less than half of Apple’s, it sells much more laptops and computers than Apple. Lenovo beats Apple in terms of pricing too. Apple’s cheapest computer product which is the base model of the MacBook Air is priced at $999. Meanwhile, Lenovo has products for $499 and their discounted rate is $399. Lenovo also offers a much more extensive line of over 300 options of laptop models to choose from compared to Apple’s MacBook which has only three options.
HP Inc.
The Hewlett Packard Company- HP which was founded by David Packard and William R. Hewlett in 1939 is a multinational IT company. It deals in computer appliances like laptops, printers, computers, scanners, 3D printers, and monitors. The company subsequently split into 2 separate divisions- Hewlett Packard Enterprise and HP Inc.
HP Inc. is a leading competitor for Apple because of its quality products that are made available to its customers at a very affordable price. The base market however for both these companies are different. While Apple mainly focuses on the US market, HP Inc. is more concerned with markets other than the United States.
Dell
It is a multinational computer company that is named after its founder, Michael Dell who founded Dell in 1984. It is an American company with its headquarters in Round Rock in Texas. The company manufactures, sells, and repairs computers and their related parts. Dell’s competitiveness with Apple reached new heights with the launch of Dell’s product- Dell DJ. The product was for Apple’s iPod, a competitor. Dell’s product line of XPS laptops competes with Apple’s MacBook Pro.
While Dell has budget-friendly laptops, Apple has a wider base of loyal customers.
Tablets
Asus
Asus or Asustek is a multinational phone and computer hardware manufacturer and distributor. It was found in 1989 in Taiwan. It is one of Apple’s growing competitors in terms of its tablets. Its tabs have a certain hold on the world market. It employs approximately 17000 individuals out of which 5000 work in the research and development center. It won over 4500 awards in the year 2017 for providing its buyers with cutting-edge, high quality, and innovative products. Since it was founded 32 years back, they have become an active player in the global IT market. Its main competition with Apple is its design and value.
Watch
Apple in 2015 designed, developed, and marketed its first smartwatch. But they very quickly discontinued it in 2016. They subsequently launched Series 1 and Series 2 of the Apple Watch. Their most recent model of the Apple Watch is the Series 6. Competitors with respect to the Apple watches are the Fitbit watches, the Garmin, Huawei smartwatch, and Samsung.
Apple Future Plans
In an event held in April 2021, Apple introduced AirTags, an updated Apple TV 4K, new iMac models, and newer versions of the 12.9 and 11 inch IPad Pro.
Apple is also all set to release its much-awaited iPhone 13, Series 7 of the Apple Watch and AirPods 3 in September 2021.
The iPhone 13 is to be expected in the same sizes as its predecessor- iPhone12. Camera improvements and 5G and an A15 chip with a much better battery life are the changes in the new model. iPhone 13 is going to have a smaller design for the notch.
With Apple releasing new products in the Apple Watch series, this year we will get to see Series 7. There is going to be an updated design in this new model. The Apple Watch is also expected to factor in a flat-edged design, similar to that of iPhone 12 and smaller bezels.
The new AirPods 3 are going to look like AirPods Pro. The only difference would be that the latest model would not have the feature of Active Noise Cancellation. This will allow the company to sell them at a lower rate.
Conclusion
It is very clear that Apple has to compete with numerous global brands within different markets. It keeps a very close eye on its competitors and keeps updating its features and introducing new ones as technology changes. It is a brand which is loved by millions all over the world. They keep their products limited but top-notch nonetheless. They also have a great deal of brand loyalty which is a major factor in the success of the company.
FAQs
Which is the best place to buy Apple products?
Ans: Australia and Japan are the two best places to buy Apple products from as per 2020 reports. It is in these two countries that you will find products at a cheaper price.
Who is the current CEO of Apple?
Ans: Tim Cook is the current CEO of Apple.
