Background
Dropouts Jobs and Wozniak founded Apple Computers in 1976. They founded Apple Computers, Inc. to change how people saw computers. Jobs and Wozniak wanted to create portable, lightweight personal computers (Abdukarimova, 2021). They sought a simple computer. Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak built the Apple I in Jobs’ garage and marketed it in 1977 without a monitor, keyboard, or enclosure. The Apple II was the first personal computer with colour graphics. The company went public in 1980 when sales rose from $7.8 million in 1978 to $117 million.
Apple experimented with tablet computers before the iPad. Its 1993 Newton Message Pad PDAs were comparable to tablets but unsophisticated due to their limited app selection, black-and-white displays, and reliance on a stylus (Abdukarimova, 2021). Apple also produced a prototype of a more powerful tablet based on the PowerBook but did not release it. Jonathan Ive and others produced an iPad prototype in 2004. Apple decided the iPhone was more important and debuted it in 2007 using comparable technology. The business decided that the iPhone was more important than the device slated to ship.
Red Hat Inc. started when an entrepreneur met an IT nerd at a convention. Marc Ewing hacked, debugged, and created his Linux® CD distribution from his Raleigh, North Carolina, home. Ewing’s experiences at the college computer lab inspired the moniker Red Hat. “If you need help, look for the red-hatted man,” they said. When Ewing began distributing his own Linux version, he called it “Red Hat.” Grandpa’s Cornell lacrosse cap was red. Bob Young managed his computer supply catalogue business from his Connecticut couch. He started buying Red Hat Linux CDs from Ewing since Linux was becoming popular. Young was so successful marketing them that he and Ewing started their own company in 1995, naming Young CEO. He established Red Hat Software.
Identified Needs
Red Hat provides management services, products, and assistance in the following specialist areas: cloud computing, application development; storage; virtualization; and middleware. Red Hat also gives aid in virtualization. When you use cloud computing, rather than purchasing the information technology you require, you can instead choose to rent it. Businesses typically opt to gain access to their computing capacity through the internet, sometimes called the cloud, and pay for it on an as-needed basis rather than making significant upfront investments in databases, software, and hardware. A significant number of companies favour this method of payment. Application development is the process of planning, producing, and implementing software applications. It may be broken down into three stages: planning, creating, and implementing. The entire procedure is referred to as “application development,” which is an umbrella phrase. It is only possible due to the concerted efforts of many teams working together on various projects that are all connected in some way. The company needs to give the impression that there is only one storage device by combining the actual storage space of multiple distinct storage devices into what appears to be a single storage device and running applications on collections of resources. This gives the company the impression that there is only one storage device. The iPad Pro is, in point of fact, the most capable tablet the company needs; making use of it assists in finding solutions to difficulties that boost productivity and workflow.
Solution
iPad Pro is an indispensable piece of equipment for Red Hat’s services. When it comes to a creative workflow, one of the best things about utilizing an iPad is that it can be used everywhere. The management team can effortlessly sync papers and visuals across various devices, enabling them to keep working on a project without encountering any extra obstacles. When the iPad Pro is integrated into the creative workflow, it will be simpler to differentiate between one’s personal and business life. The management may test out new looks on an iPad, which is about the same size as a laptop, to determine what works and does not. The management of Red Hat can be simplified by purchasing hard disks with capacities sufficient to hold all of the company’s files. However, things have the potential to get disorganized if they hold anything and everything on these, so it is in your best interest to only save the most critical files there. The iPad pro and cloud computing systems will provide the company with a low entry barrier and a very high level of capability and relevancy to the method in which management conducts their business.
Costs and Timings
Because it will require the members of the management to engage with the market effectively and do research on the potential clients who may create a reasonable basis for the business, the business development of Apple and Red Hat companies will begin with searching for a potential lead that will cost one hundred dollars. This is because it is required that the company’s business development begin with a potential lead. The utilization of online resources and the payment of the members of the team for the time they spend searching for the prospect will contribute to the cost that must be expended. An additional cost will be incurred for the qualification of the lead and the meeting with the lead, which will cost approximately two hundred dollars and will include the cost of transport and the hosting place for the client as it cannot simply be anywhere but rather a place that offers an environment that is conducive to discussions.
In order to establish value for the iPad compared to other devices that offer the same service, Apple must invest some costs associated with offer creation. Therefore, the cost of adding value in the form of lower prices will be three hundred dollars, less than the cost of the iPad Pro, which can be purchased for $599. Building business between Apple and Red Hat will have a total cost of $ 2,000,300, which will be constituted of the subsidized cost price of two million dollars for the pads. The four components to developing business between Apple and Red Hat will have a total cost. Considering other previous businesses done with companies such as The North Face, Inc., the team members working on the creation of the new business constitute 40% of the earlier business project and 60% who are new and have not worked on such a project before. The target market is distinct but has nearly identical service expectations, particularly regarding Apple’s iPad goods. iPad Pro has been added to the mix to make the processes more effective.
Since the entire process of company development is broad and cannot be placed entirely on the shoulders of a single individual, the team will be consulted regarding their schedules and time estimates, and they will be kept informed regarding any changes to the budget. This pertains to what they forecast in terms of time and cost, as well as the question of whether or not they are basing their projections on more current projects or ones that were completed in the past. If either the timing or the costs appear excessive, there will be a discussion about the various ways in which time and money can be saved. Additionally, the issue of processes that could be skipped or condensed will be looked at, resulting in a significantly easier time maintaining the project’s current trajectory. Adding two days, a few bucks, and twenty-five per cent to the total estimate of the project will help reduce the amount of rushing and stress experienced by everyone involved, including the clients and the customers.
Regarding the timings, the captured expenses and timeliness on active projects will be completed, and the tracking of time will be done accurately. This will include the number of hours spent working on the specific jobs. The cost and timing estimates will keep the team on track to reach the overall business development goal, which the accuracy of the estimates will ensure.
SWOT Analysis
Strengths | Weaknesses |
Transportability – It is easier for people to carry the product from one place to another since it is small.
The design has a sleek design that makes the product look stylish and current. |
The battery life is dependent on the generation of the iPad. Some Ipads have a longer battery life, while some have short battery life.
The product has not been designed to handle heavy activities such as watching Netflix or editing photos. |
Opportunities | Threats |
Several organizations and people are opting for the iPad due to its small size.
Some pads have intelligent connectors that allow intelligent products such as the keyboard to connect. |
Several companies are competing to produce similar products, such as Microsoft.
The price of the product is a threat in itself. The prices of the products in the market differ based on the company and the size of the products. Organizations that produce the products at a lower price can make the sale. |
Promotional Strategy
Account Management
Account management is providing customers with service, support, and opportunities for improvement to increase their consumption of a product or service and maximize opportunities for retention, upselling, and cross-selling within the customer base (Macfee, 2020). These goals are accomplished by increasing the customer’s product or service consumption. This is done to raise the total amount of consumed product or service. Red Hat can solve the problem of giving the impression that there is only one storage device (Macfee, 2020). This problem is solved by combining the actual storage space of multiple distinct storage devices into what appears to be a single storage device and running applications on collections of resources. This creates the impression that there is only one storage device, which is beneficial for the company because it saves them time and space.
The iPad is, in point of fact, the most capable tablet the company requires, and it assists in discovering solutions to difficulties that increase productivity and workflow. Because the customer’s requirements for cloud computing, application development, storage, virtualization, and middleware can all be satisfied using one device, the iPad Pro is the ideal product to fulfil those requirements (Macfee, 2020). The iPad Air has a significantly improved overall performance as a direct result of the M1 chip, which Apple designed. iPad Air comes in a variety of new colours, and it also includes a new Ultra Wide front camera with Center Stage for a more natural experience during video conferencing, a USB-C port that offers up to two times faster transfer speeds, and lightning-fast 5G on cellular models, all while maintaining the same affordable price point.
In addition, iPad Air comes with a USB-C port that offers up to two times faster transfer speeds and lightning-fast 5G on cellular models. Because it is compatible with the most up-to-date accessories, users can push the boundaries of their creativity while increasing their productivity level. Tablets such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra and the Microsoft Surface Pro 8 are examples of devices in direct competition with the iPad. On the other hand, iPads continue to have a significant advantage over their rivals in the tablet business, and the reason for this advantage is not hard to fathom at all. These devices often have an appealing appearance, are constructed to last, are jam-packed with functions, and can do several jobs. If the Red Hat organization were to start providing its employees with iPad pro, it would be able to give them the best possible services and ensure that their work would be completed most efficiently and fruitfully imaginable. Therefore, it would be better to purchase the iPad pro for catering for the urgency of attaining the productivity rate.
Financial plan
The projected financial plan for the next five years is as indicated below. The projections are made on the assumption that the Hong Kong economy will be stable. The values are in $ HK.
Apple Ipads | |||||
Projected Income Statement for Five years | |||||
Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 | |
Revenues | 100000 | 115000 | 126500 | 139150 | 153065 |
COGS | 50000 | 53000 | 56180 | 59550.8 | 63123.85 |
Gross Profit | 50000 | 45848 | 48537 | 51376 | 54374 |
Distribution costs | 8000 | 8400 | 8820 | 9261 | 9724.05 |
Marketing and Admiration | 30000 | 30600 | 31212 | 31836 | 32473 |
Market Research | 3000 | 3060 | 3121.2 | 3184 | 3247 |
Interest loan | 2000 | 2040 | 2080.8 | 2122 | 2165 |
Net Income | 7000 | 1748 | 3303 | 4973 | 6765 |
The company’s net income is expected to be highest in the first year of operations, dropping in the second year but increasing from the second year to the fifth year of operations.
Recommendations
The business is operating in the technology industry, which is dynamic. For the business to continue being profitable, it must adapt to the changing needs. The organization has to have a fully funded innovation department responsible for producing new products that meet the changing customer needs. This strategy, combined with the account management strategy, will ensure the company’s long-term success.
References
Abdukarimova, M. (2021). Company Overview for 2017-2021: Apple vs Microsoft. International Journal Of Current Science Research And Review, 04(07). https://doi.org/10.47191/ijcsrr/v4-i7-21
iPad. Apple. (2022). Retrieved 15 September 2022, from https://www.apple.com/ipad/.
Kottler, P. (2012). The Teardown: Apple iPad Mini. Engineering &Amp; Technology, 7(12), 90–91. https://doi.org/10.1049/et.2012.1231
Leśniak-Moczuk, A. (2016). Vision, Strategy, Innovation in Apple Company. Zeszyty Naukowe Uniwersytetu Szczecińskiego Finanse Rynki Finansowe Ubezpieczenia, 83, 33-40. https://doi.org/10.18276/frfu.2016.5.83/2-03
Macfee, J. (2020). A Study on Sales Promotion strategy of Mobile phones: Seller’s Perspective. Strad Research, 7(7). https://doi.org/10.37896/sr7.7/059