Case Study 3 - Adi Marcus, Cherry Jin and Nianzhen (Nicole) Li.
What are some examples of disruptive products created by Apple? How disruptive of a product is the iPhone and why?
A disruptive product could be categorized as one that becomes popular and relatively quickly displaces established competitors while allowing new customers access to the product where previously it was accessible to consumers with a lot of money or skill.
By these standards, quite a lot of Apple’s products could be considered disruptive products. For example, when Apple first introduced the Mac in 1984, it was the first affordable computer to incorporate a graphical interface – its growing popularity forced Apple’s competitors to create their own versions of the graphical interface – which quickly became the norm for all computer operating systems. In 2000, Apple disrupted the music market when they introduced the iPod and allowed easy access to music and MP3 files. While MP3 players existed before Apple launched the iPod and iTunes – the Apple iPod was small in size, large in capacity and with a simple user interface. When the iTunes store was introduced a year later – it created a legal avenue for music MP3 downloads directly to iPod users – changing the downloadable music market forever. In 2010, Apple disrupted the personal computer/tablet market with the launch of the iPad which changed the dynamics of the traditional PC industry. In fact, since the iPad came into the market, traditional PC and laptop sales dropped considerably.
The iPhone is another highly disruptive Apple product. While Apple did not invent the smart phone, the company reinvented the product by making a smart phone that combines the functionality of so many other devices into one easy to use device. By allowing for a user friendly interface, a smart operating system and apps – combined with music player and