Apple mission is “to bringing the best user experience to its customers through its innovative hardware, software, and services.” And in a manifesto dated 2009 Tim Cook set the vision specified as “We believe that we are on the face of the earth to make great products and that’s not changing.”
Why does it matter?
Understanding the mission and vision that drives an organization is the first step to really appreciating how that company moves toward its short and long-term objectives.
Indeed, where a mission statement focuses more on the business objectives and how to reach them. The vision is about how that same company sees itself in the long-term.
Thus, for any organization, it is critical to understand how the mission and vision are formulated to have a deep understanding of how they think about the future.
The simplest way to define a mission and a vision, it is by setting up a mission and vision statement. We’ll look at the mission and vision statement of Apple.
Breaking down Apple mission statement
The Company is committed to bringing the best user experience to its customers through its innovative hardware, software and services.
Apple points this out in its annual report for 2018. Understanding the elements of Apple mission statement is critical:
- Best user experience
- Innovative hardware
- Innovative software and services
From this element also the way the organizational structure is designed is crafted. Therefore, at Apple user experience comes first; this gives great power to design and designers over engineers.
Not surprisingly Apple products are beautifully crafted. Everything about Apple products has to be designed with maximum attention to details.
At the same time, Apple has leveraged on software, integrated within the hardware that made its products more valuable for users. An iPhone without its App Store would not be worth much, even though that is a beautiful device.
This also leads to a clear business strategy for Apple:
The Company’s business strategy leverages its unique ability to design and develop its own operating systems, hardware, application software and services to provide its customers products and solutions with innovative design, superior ease-of-use and seamless integration.
And a set of business objectives to be achieved:
As part of its strategy, the Company continues to expand its platform for the discovery and delivery of digital content and applications through its Digital Content and Services, which allows customers to discover and download or stream digital content, iOS, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple TV applications, and books through either a Mac or Windows personal computer or through iPhone, iPad and iPod touch® devices (“iOS devices”), Apple TV, Apple Watch and HomePod.
Furthermore, through a clear mission statement the company can identify the key stakeholders to involve in the growth process and allow its products to be successful:
The Company also supports a community for the development of third-party software and hardware products and digital content that complement the Company’s offerings.
Also, it can leverage resources to achieve the business goals defined within its mission statement. Indeed, part of the “best user experience” implies a high-quality buying experience, where the whole process is controlled and customized:
The Company believes a high-quality buying experience with knowledgeable salespersons who can convey the value of the Company’s products and services greatly enhances its ability to attract and retain customers.
One strategy that Apple chose to create this high-quality buying experience is via its stores as a part of its distribution strategy:
Therefore, the Company’s strategy also includes building and expanding its own retail and online stores and its third-party distribution network to effectively reach more customers and provide them with a high-quality sales and post-sales support experience.
The Company believes ongoing investment in research and development (“R&D”), marketing and advertising is critical to the development and sale of innovative products, services and technologies.
Breaking down Apple vision statement
We believe that we are on the face of the earth to make great products and that’s not changing. We are constantly focusing on innovating. We believe in the simple not the complex. We believe that we need to own and control the primary technologies behind the products that we make, and participate only in markets where we can make a significant contribution. We believe in saying no to thousands of projects, so that we can really focus on the few that are truly important and meaningful to us. We believe in deep collaboration and cross-pollination of our groups, which allow us to innovate in a way that others cannot. And frankly, we don’t settle for anything less than excellence in every group in the company, and we have the self-honesty to admit when we’re wrong and the courage to change. And I think regardless of who is in what job those values are so embedded in this company that Apple will do extremely well.
Back in 2009, when Steve Jobs was in medical leave, Tim Cook set the stage for the Apple manifesto a long-form vision, that also set the mission the company had to accomplish after the death of its legendary founder!
This vision set in stone follows a few key and core believes:
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- Making great products
- Focusing on innovation
- Simplicity in place of complexity
- Control the primary technologies behind Apple’s products
- Focus on a few key projects
- Excellence as the standard
Related:
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- The Trillion Dollar Company: Apple Business Model In A Nutshell
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Other resources:
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- How To Write A Mission Statement
- What Is a Business Model? 30 Successful Types of Business Models You Need to Know
- Business Strategy: Definition, Examples, And Case Studies
- What Is a Business Model Canvas? Business Model Canvas Explained
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- What Is Market Segmentation? the Ultimate Guide to Market Segmentation
- Marketing Strategy: Definition, Types, And Examples
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