Preliminary Findings and Limitations- Apple

The company I chose for my final project is Apple. As a loyal consumer of their products who can’t go a single work day without her iPad, I chose this brand because it’s familiar and personal to me. I feel that because of my large amount of time spent online, I have a good indication of what people like and dislike regarding technology features. The new product concept that I am suggesting is the Apple iPhone Basic. This phone combines the modern features of the newer iPhones such as their speed, camera quality, and durability with the obsolete features that consumers miss such as the home button, the headphone jack, and the mute button switch. I obtained my information for this project from secondary sources as well as a survey I created. My research objectives were to find out which features of the iPhone’s technology were convenient or inconvenient to customers as well as discover the best features from each iPhone model to create one phone that satisfies basic consumer demands. 

My research design is to gather as much information as possible about consumer demands regarding Apple products. If raised with any opposition, I’m confident my research will be thorough enough to answer any questions raised. Most of the information I obtained was from a secondary source (online articles and public statistics), although I did extract data from an external source when I conducted a survey. The secondary data backed up my theory that Apple’s features such as the constant need for updates cause extreme customer frustration and tarnish the customer experience (Eightify, 2023). 

The market research I have done so far supports Apple’s objectives by highlighting a new demographic of customers that want something particular they can’t yet get from their current iPhones. I believe that once the target market gets word about our new product, Apple will be flooded with consumers from the new demographic. Product sales will increase, and the new product will act as a form of damage control against the negative press Apple has received for certain features that the iPhone Basic does/ does not include. For example, Apple received a large amount of pushback when eliminating their headphone jack. With the iPhone Basic containing this feature, the negative press will be contradicted and hopefully eliminated to some extent. 

One trend I noticed is that iPhones started to rise in popularity- each model becoming more popular than the last. Now, the phones have almost nowhere to make improvements, causing the company to fall into a successful yet moderately stagnant state. Bringing back the features of high-selling iPhones will undoubtedly allow the company the opportunity to re-enter the market in a new, exciting way. I’m confident that my marketing strategy aligns with legal, ethical, and industry standards because I based it on Apple’s current marketing strategy. As large and successful as Apple is, I trust that they have followed all standards. This along with my thorough research has assured me that the company follows all legal, ethical, and industry standards. 

I did not come across any significant issues in creating this marketing proposal. I have been interested in Apple’s products for quite a long time, and I have also done projects on the company in other classes. I feel as if I have a good feel for what consumers want, and the data I’ve been researching has proved my theories correct. I believe I’ve done an ample and appropriate amount of research for this project. 

Eightify. (2023, September 30). The downside of Apple’s design focus: Frustration and alternatives. https://eightify.app/summary/technology-and-gadgets/the-downside-of-apple-s-design-focus-frustration-and-alternatives