Competitor Analysis Of Apple: A Complete Guide

One of the companies that have changed the way people perceive technology is Apple. Everyone knows the epic story behind the foundation of Apple and how its products dominate the market. When we talk about Apple as a company, we often get reminded of its products and Steve Jobs. However, as time passes by, more players enter the market. Like every company, Apple has its share of competitors. This article aims to provide an in-depth competitor analysis of Apple. I would go through the competitors of apple in every product they offer. Moreover, we would also see a few numbers and statistics that help us make more sense.

Before we begin, here is a quick overview of Apple

• Founders: Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, Ronald Wayne, and Mike Markkula
• Headquarters: Cupertino, California, U.S.
• Revenue (2022): US$394.33 billion
• Products (as of 2023): Mac, iPhone, iPad, AirPods, Apple Watch,
• Services (as of 2023): AppleCare+, iCloud+, Apple TV

Quick three fun facts about Apple

• Apple makes nearly $2,000 every second
• Apple is the fourth-largest personal computer vendor by unit sales and second-largest mobile phone manufacturer.
• The name ‘Apple’ came from founder Steve Jobs’ like of the fruit

Competitor Analysis Of Apple In 2023

Many people need to remember that Apple provides a few products and services apart from just the iPhone and the iPad. Hence, Apple competes with competitors in different niches. The competition of apple is not limited to one domain. Thus, we would do a competitor analysis of Apple for every niche they serve.

Here is what I would like to cover

• Competitors Of Apple In SmartPhones
• Competitors Of Apple in Computers
• Competitors Of Apple In Digital Streaming

Let us begin!

Competitors Of Apple In SmartPhones

This is probably the biggest market for Apple. The iPhones make the largest share in revenue for Apple every year. Let us see the competition for Apple in the smartphone market.

1. Samsung

It has the largest market share in the smartphone industry right after Apple. Most companies are trying to beat Samsung as their first step towards reaching the mighty Apple. Samsung offers a wide range of smartphones with minimum to high-end budgets for all its customers. You can find smartphones of Samsung with great technology and yet cost-effective.

• Samsung has a much wider variety of smartphones as compared to Apple.
• Samsung has now achieved superior camera quality with its S23 Ultra series.
• Samsung’s charging speed is faster compared to any Apple iPhone.
• Apple’s iOS is optimized in a better manner and provides a great user experience.

2. Xiaomi

It is the second on our list. The company is headquartered in China and accounts for the third-largest sales of smartphones. Xiaomi has produced quite a nice series of smartphones for its customers. Comparing it to Apple, there are certain pros and cons as usual.

• Xiaomi has a better battery backup but iPhone has a better battery usage algorithm. This equals the battery experience.
• Xiaomi provides updates with less frequency in its operating system. On the contrary, Apple is quite fast when it comes to new updates.
• Apple’s camera is undoubtedly superior to the Xiaomi phones. Xiaomi’s camera quality is great but not comparable to what an iPhone offers

3. Oppo

Oppo’s official name goes by Guangdong Oppo Mobile Telecommunications Corp., Ltd. It is another Chinese business company primarily in the electronics domain. It is third on our list. We are including OnePlus in our consideration for this analysis.

• The OS of apple is better as compared to what any Oppo phone offers. The iOS is better optimized and works more efficiently than Oppo’s ColorOS.
• Most people prefer Apple over Oppo due to its build quality. The Oppo phones are reviewed to be a little fragile.
• The camera quality is great in both companies. However, Apple has an upper edge.
• The positive thing about the Oppo phones is the charging and battery functionality. It is better as compared to iPhone

4. Vivo

Vivo goes by the official company name of Vivo Communication Technology Co. Ltd. It is fourth on our list and is a Chinese multinational technology company headquartered in Dongguan, Guangdong. They are primarily into designing and developing smartphones, smartphone accessories, software, and online services.

Fun Fact: The parent organization of Vivo and Oppo is the same. It is BBK Electronics

• The overall camera quality of Vivo is better. But in some low-light scenarios, the iPhones are quite superior.
• Like other competitors, Vivo offers better storage and battery backup as compared to iPhones.
• The user experience for Vivo phones is lagging as compared to iPhones. Even high-end Vivo phones may give you a little interrupting experience as compared to iPhones.

These were the top competitors of Apple in the smartphone industry.

To summarize,

• Apple phones are of supreme build quality as compared to its competitors.
• Apple phones lag in memory storage and costs are expensive to extend the storage space as compared to its competitors.
• Apple phones may charge slower but the optimized iOS compensate for the performance.
• Camer quality is Apple is premium. The only competitor that actually is a worthy competitor in this feature is Samsung.
• Apple’s iOS is pretty smooth and hardly lags in when the phone is packed with multiple tasks. The same goes for Samsung with Android. Users have experienced a bit of lagging in other smartphones mentioned in our list.

Market Share Of Apple And Its Competitors: Smartphones

Competitors Of Apple In Computers

Apple’s Mac is quite popular and high-end in the personal computers people purchase. However, Apple is not leading the personal computers market. The competitors of Apple are ahead in terms of sales and revenue share.

1. Lenovo

The first on our list is Lenovo. It is an American-Chinese multinational corporation. Lenovo is having the highest market share among personal computer vendors as of December 2022. Lenovo has majorly two categorizations under their laptops. They have IdeaPad and ThinkPad. IdeaPad is more consumer-oriented and ThinkPad is more business-oriented.

• Lenovo offers more features as they run Windows as the primary operating system as compared to Mac.
• Lenovo has a wider range of laptops. On the contrary, Apple focuses more on high-end limited laptop range like the Macbook with 3-4 variations.
• Lenovo is reviewed to have better I/O (input-output) connectivity as compared to Macbooks.
• Lenovo is less expensive but lacks build quality, especially the IdeaPad range. Apple’s laptops are of supreme build quality.

2. HP

HP stands for Hewlett-Packard. It is an American multinational company dealing in computers, printers, and other electronic manufacturing. They stand in the second position when it comes to the personal computer market.

• The point where HP stands apart is the budget. It offers a lot of features in a very affordable price range. Whereas Apple’s laptops are always costly as compared to a regular HP laptop.
• The HP laptops have issues with the heating mechanisms. However, you would hardly find any Apple laptop with heating issues.
• The build quality of HP is better than Lenovo but not comparable to the Apple laptops. However, the high-end HP laptops are of premium build quality and fall in the same range as a MacBook.

3. Dell

Dell Inc. is an American-based technology company. It develops, sells, repairs, and supports computers and related products and services. Dell is owned by its parent company, Dell Technologies

• The build quality of Dell is better than Lenovo and HP. It is one laptop brand that provides good quality after Apple.
• This laptop is remarkable in audio quality as compared to an Apple MacBook. The audio quality is quite commendable.
• Dell laptops face the same issue or poor heating mechanism as HP. Apple’s MacBook is never observed to be over-heated in any type of usage.

Apple is not the leading player in the personal computer market.

To summarize,

• Apple laptops have the best heating mechanisms. No other brand can provide such efficiency.
• Apple laptops are costly as compared to other brands. Hence, many people with budget constraints purchase other brands.
• The MacOS in Apple laptops is superior and highly optimized for heavy multi-tasking (Again, no heating issues). Other brands may lag and give you a tough time unless you buy their high-end models.
• Apple laptops have a strong build quality. Only HP can provide good quality along with the Lenovo ThinkPad series. For dell, the high-end models are comparable in this situation.

Market Share Of Apple And Its Competitors: Computers

Competitors Of Apple In Digital Streaming

There are many digital streaming services for movies and web series. Apple has its service Apple TV. In this category also, the Apple TV doesn’t lead the market.

If you need an in-depth analysis of the competition in digital streaming, you can check our article here!

1. Netflix

Netflix leads the market here. The company started with DVD content in its initial phase. They transitioned into online streaming in the year 2007

Netflix provides many film and television content creators to stream their projects using their platform. Moreover, Netflix also sponsors their original projects in different genres and formats. Netflix has a huge catalog of streaming content in different languages, formats, and for all devices.

2. Amazon Prime Video

Amazon Prime Video is a video-on-demand over-the-top streaming platform run by Amazon.com Inc. It is one of the many subsidiaries under the parent company of Amazon Inc.

Prime Video provides streaming content from its own production house (Amazon Studios) and MGM Holdings or licensed to Amazon, as Amazon Originals, and from other media houses. You also have the feature to either stream the content or rent it depending on availability.

3. Disney+

Disney+ is the over-the-top streaming platform under the parent company of the Walt Disney Company. Disney+ primarily distributes films and television series produced by The Walt Disney Studios and Walt Disney Television. It hosts dedicated content hubs for the brands Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic too.

To summarize,

• Apple is way behind in digital streaming. The primary reason is that it is not Apple’s primary market.
• It is understood that this market is not the stronghold area for Apple.
• The other companies are way ahead and Apple probably won’t directly compete with them any sooner.

Market Share Of Apple And Its Competitors: Digital Streaming

All this data is updated till December 2022.

It is seen that Apple TV is lagging in subscribers and the annual revenue numbers. For this, the other companies are massively ahead!

Bottom Line

So, here was the competitor analysis of Apple!

Apple is a great brand name. It has a loyal customer base and the customers market the Apple ecosystem themselves. Considering the iPhones, they offer great value but may appear a little expensive in many countries. Moreover, other smartphone brands are already providing great value in a great price range. The only reason people prefer an iPhone is its build quality, smooth iOS, and great user experience. These three features justify the expensive price range of iPhones.

The Apple MacBooks have a rigid build quality along with a smooth OS. The MacOS becomes the game changer. Apple’s OS makes it super fast and ensures no heating issues as experienced in other laptop brands. This eventually puts the MacBook in a premium category. However, the other high-end laptop brands also offer a good heating mechanism. But when you expect such a laptop, the price range may come close to a MacBook.

In digital streaming, Apple is way behind other providers. The competition for Apple is quite strong here. The reason is that this industry is not Apple’s main niche. Apple’s main niches remain the smartphone and laptops. Moreover, there is not much effort to expand Apple’s footprint in digital streaming. The primary revenue share comes from iPhones and MacBooks only.

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