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Cassie Wardlow CST 300L October 16, 2012 Apple of My Eye

A degree in technology is the best thing that a college student could major in right now.

Technology is in its peak and can only grow more in the future. The fields of graphic and web design seem to have many job openings. Companies are always needing new websites or logos to keep up with current trends and to make sure they don’t fall too far behind. Some major corporations that do this best are Apple, Google, Facebook, and YouTube. These corporations are on top of what the best technology is and how they can implement it best. Websites and applications are constantly being updated to make sure they stay on top, as well as products to stay in competition with other big names. More importantly, how is Apple going to keep up? An analysis will be provided to see how Apple plans to stay on top and how they got there. Lastly, jobs for the future will come into play and how acquiring one will happen.

Many people know about Apple because the company has boomed in the last decade.

Not everyone knows how they got there and how they plan to stay on top. Apple was founded by two college drop outs, and , in 1976. The company started out as just building computers and has transformed into a technology Mecca. Apple computers were first created to go up against the powerful PC world of Microsoft and HP. It was hard for them to compete because the PC world was already so strong and well built. It took Apple a lot of failures before the finally got it right in the late 90s with the iMac. It took Apple so long to thrive because, “the market was not ready for such an advancement in technology” (Hill, 1997).

A company grows a great amount in 20 years, and after the iMac, it was all uphill from there.

Apple Inc.’s headquarters is in Cupertino, California and employs 60,400 full-time employees in Wardlow 2 both corporate and retail (Forbes, 2012). Apple’s headquarters, also known as the Mothership, is a huge campus where everything Apple can be found except for iTunes, which is down the street.

Apple has about twelve people on its executive committee, which oversee everything from marketing to engineering to retail.

Some of the biggest names are: , CEO, , Senior Vice President

Industrial Design, Philip Schiller, Senior Vice President Worldwide Marketing, and Craig

Federighi, Senior Vice President Mac Software Engineering. Tim Cook, Apple’s current CEO, worked as Apple’s Chief Operation Office before becoming CEO. Prior to his positions at Apple, he was vice president for Compaq and worked at IBM for twelve years. Cook has a Bachelor of

Science degree in Industrial Engineering and an MBA from Duke University. Jony Ive has been leading the design team since 1996 and is considered one of the world’s best designers. Ive has a

Bachelor of Arts and doctorate from Newcastle Polytechnic and has won numerous design awards. Craig Federighi is responsible for developing Mac OS X, which is the operating system used on all Macs. He holds a Master of Science degree in Computer Science and a Bachelor of

Science in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. These men have made Apple what is it today. They helped create and promote products like iMac, MacBook Pro, iPhone, iPad and along with many more. They developed and mastered operating systems such as Mac OS

X and iOS for the iPhone (Apple, 2012).

Apple started making laptops soon after desktops, but now they have expanded their hard ware and technology base. Their desktops and laptops are known for their design and crisp features. After being successful with their computers, Apple decided to take on the field of MP3 players. The first iPod was released in 2001, which offered “1,000 songs in your Wardlow 3 pocket” (Apple, 2012). Over the decade, Apple improved its iPod and created four other versions to fit every costumers’ needs along with creating its own store called iTunes.

Next, Apple decided to improve upon cellphones by creating the iPhone. The iPhone started out simple with the capabilities of a cellphone, iPod, and internet browsing. Today, it has now transformed to something people can’t live without. The has made the options endless of things a person can do with their iPhone, “A new game or a new recipe. Something to help you stay on top of world affairs or something to help you stay on top of your finances. For all the incredible things your iPhone already does, there are thousands more, waiting for you at the App

Store” (Apple, 2012). Apple definitely set the bar for the future of smartphones. They iPhone created a competitive market for the smartphone industry. Apple’s next revolution was the iPad,

“It’s brilliant. In every sense of the word” (Apple, 2012). Very few tablets existed before the iPad and Apple wanted to change that. They created a device that brought portable internet browsing and e-reading on the go, along with all the applications in the App Store. Soon a camera was put on the hardware and users were able to video chat and create personal videos.

Apple products do well in the marketplace because their consumers are very loyal and trust the Apple brand. Recently, Apple has been named number one in the World’s Most

Powerful Brands by Forbes (Forbes, 2012). They have made over $127.84 billion in sales and continues to steadily grow. Dan Former (Jan., 2012) wrote, “There are plenty of impressive stats in Apple’s December quarter earning report, such as 37 million shipped, $46 billion of overall sales, and $13 billion of profit.” The company grew 73% in one year. That meant the company had to gain an extra $20 billion in new sales. This would be extremely impressive for any company to do, but for Apple, it almost seems like a walk in the park. The most recent Wardlow 4 quarter ended on July 24. During this quarter, Apple sold 26 million iPhones, 17 million , 4 million Macs, and 6.8 million iPods (Apple, 2012). When it comes to finance, Apple seems to be continually growing. Reputation on the other hand, is a different story. It really depends on the person and how they view Apple. According to the huge Apple fans, Apple could never do wrong. However, many reporters in the media try to find the pitfalls of Apple, “But increasingly it seems like Apple can’t do right, at least in the eyes of the press” (Shaughnessy, 2012). It seems as though there will always be devout fans and strong opponents. Sure, Apple has it’s problems just like every other company, but everyone who uses their products loves them. Don

Resigner (Sept, 2011) says, “For the eight year in a row, Apple’s Macs have satisfied more customers than any other vendor’s PCs.” When it comes to satisfying its customers, again,

Apple knows how it needs to be done.

The biggest trend in Apple’s field is probably being the first company to make the next big thing. Apple loves being the first company to completely change a market or field. They have done it with almost all of their products. The big question is what’s next? Their field is always growing because people are constantly thinking of new things to add or create. One of the biggest trends is making the best screen resolution and size while keeping the device small.

Another trend is creating even better software to outdo their competition. Apple is always trying to keep their customers satisfied, “Apple continues to give their customers award-winning computers, OS X operating system and iLife and professional applications. Apple offers their customers the latest technological innovations in both computers and digital media” (Bodey,

2009). Wardlow 5

Apple is mostly hiring hardware and software engineers. They want the best engineers out there to make sure their product is the greatest. A company always needs designers too, so of course they are hiring them as well. They need to keep their website updated along with all of their packaging and marketing as well. A company like Apple would definitely be an ideal place for a graphic designer to work, “A job at Apple is unlike any other you’ve had. You’ll be challenged. You’ll be inspired. And you’ll be proud. Because whatever your job is here, you’ll be part of something big” (Apple, 2012). Apple’s products and designs are seen all over the world, and it would be a great opportunity to be a part of the team that created those products. Any design job through Apple would personally be more than a dream come true. Whether it be packaging design, web design, or visual design, Apple knows how things are done. The only problem with wanting to work at such a big company like Apple is that they don’t hire just any beginning designer. All of their job qualifications require at least five years experience and a master degree in some related field. To land a job at Apple, a graphic design student is going to have to work from the ground up and reach for the stars.

A graphic design student at CSUMB must create a form called an Individual Learning

Plan (ILP) to plan out the courses they must take in order to graduate. The ILP includes core classes for the Communication Design major such as communication, interaction design, programming, computing & networking, and digital design. These core classes teach the students everything they would need to know for the basics of graphic design. Since graphic design is a fairly broad field, it’s good to have knowledge of programming, such as C++, and design tools, such as Adobe Illustrator. Along with those core classes, there are classes for different emphasizes. A Visual Design emphasis requires five extra course to take along side Wardlow 6 those core classes. These classes include: Basic Web Design, Publication Design, Publication

Workshop, Web Design, and an elective. The emphasis classes teach the basic design knowledge to student about how many projects, including websites, newsletters, and logos. CSUMB is great in providing these foundation classes to help students start a career in graphic design.

I have already taken a majority of these classes and feel as though I have learned so much in the last two semesters. I learned how to do basic programming in C++, the ins and outs of a computer and its hardware, and the basics in some Adobe software; and that was all in one semester. This semester has gone more in depth with course work. I’ve been learning a lot more about how to use Adobe software in detail. Adobe Illustrator and InDesign are a graphic designer’s best friend. Having overwhelming knowledge in these programs will help any graphic designer in their career. In the next few semesters, I will be learning how to do web design and further my learning of production and print design. Senior year at CSUMB is dedicated towards creating a Capstone project. This is definitely the biggest project in a student’s college career because it takes an entire year to create. A Visual Design student will create an identity package for a company. This identity package includes a new or revised logo, letterheads and business cards, packaging, apparel, and a basic website. The Capstone is a huge project, but in the end turns out to be a great help after graduation. Capstone projects are great to include in resumes for future employers to see what a design student is capable of. CSUMB has designed a great program for the Communication Design major to make sure their students are knowledgable in every aspect of graphic design and to make them prepared to whatever an employer throws at them. Wardlow 7

Internships are great for college students and especially great for graphic designers. Most jobs require a couple years of experience for entry level positions, and internships help achieve that. They are also great to help build a portfolio and begin networking. I had an internship with

BLUE Ocean Film Festival and it was a great opportunity to meet some people in the industry and to be given responsibilities of a real job. It felt great to be a part of something that was seen by people all over the world. Not only was it an amazing experience, but it introduced me to people who saw my talent and wanted my assistance in the future. Internships are a great thing to take advantage of because the experience makes them worth it. Getting ahold of as many internships as possible can increase a graphic designers chance of getting hired.

Graphic design is a great field to be in right now. The field is staying constant, if not growing, from the new and current trends in technology. Apple is the perfect place for someone who wants to work in the corporate environment and be part of a company that reaches millions of people around the world. Being a graphic designer for Apple would be a dream come true. It is to be hoped that through a great program at CSUMB and internships that my dream can someday become a reality.

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References

Apple, (2012). Apple Press Info. Apple. Retrieved from http://www.apple.com/pr/bios/jonathan- vie.html

Bloomberg Businessweek, (2012). Apple Inc. Bloomberg. Retrieved from http:// investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/snapshot/snapshot.asp?ticker=AAPL

Bodey, R. (July 2009). Analysis of Apple Computers. Yahoo! Voices. Retrieved from http:// voices.yahoo.com/analysis-apple-computers-3761612.html?cat=3

Cacace, L. (Sept. 2012). Fortune’s fasting-growing companies. CNNMoney. Retrieved from http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fastest-growing/2012/snapshots/8.html

Forbes, (2012). World’s most powerful brands. Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/ companies/apple/

Frommer, D. (Jan. 2012). Apple’s growth rate is simply incredible... And it’s accelerating.

ReadWriteWeb. Retrieved from http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/ apple_sales_growth_rate.php

Hill. (1997). The history of Apple Computers. Bryant University. Retrieved from http:// web.bryant.edu/~ehu/h364proj/fall_97/hill/happle.html

Reisinger, D. (Sept. 2011). Apple tops in customer satisfaction for 8th year. CNET. Retrieved from http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-20108336-17/apple-tops-in-customer-satisfaction- for-8th-year/

Reuters, (2012). Profile: Apple Inc. Thomas Reuters. Retrieved from http://in.reuters.com/ finance/stocks/companyProfile?symbol=AAPL.O Wardlow 9

Shaughnessy, H. (Oct. 2012). That Apple reputation problem - Did it just get even bigger?

Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/haydnshaughnessy/2012/10/01/that-apple- reputation-problem-did-it-just-get-even-bigger/