Strategic Planning For Competitive Advantage

    (Strategic planning can be defined as the "process of creating and maintaining a fit between the organization's objectives and resources and the evolving market opportunities," and a company's competitive advantage are the factors that cause customers to buy their products and not the competition's.)
    
     CEO and founder Steve Jobs hosted an Apple's special event which was released to the public on Sept 1,2010 in which he talked about the products that Apple would be releasing for the holiday season. In this event he announced that Apple would be releasing a new line of iPods, iTunes 10, iOS 4.1 during this month, iOS 4.2 in November for the iPhone and iPad,

New line of iPods 

Apple TV, and he also announced the 3 new Apple retail stores including one in Shanghai which has an amazing 40ft high glass cylinder.

Shanghai Apple retail store

    Having the CEO of a company announcing new products to the public is a great strategic plan because just from watching the presentation I felt like I was a part of  the Apple company. And what better competitive advantage can a company have than making the best products in the market? Ever since the 1st iPod was released in 2001 apple has released several types and several generations of the product in oder to satisfy the needs of the customer and keep up with the evolving market. And who can name a better mp3 design than that of the iPod? Apple's iPod has been able to sustain their advantage over other mp3 players because of its beauty and great performance.
       In the event I mentioned above Steve Jobs also said that the daily visits to the Apple retail stores around the world can add up to 1,000,000, and that's not hard to believe because their stores are just as beautiful and innovative as their products.(Imagine came from the moon and you were walking in 5th avenue and E58th street in Manhattan and you see this beautiful apple inside of a glass square and you never heard of the company before, tell me you wouldn't be eager to go inside the store? Well that's another of Apple's competitive advantages their style  and modern design not only for their products but for their retail stores as well. Apple is a company that not only profits on their retail stores but also on their online media store iTunes. In the event Steve Jobs also announced that they'll be launching a new version of the iTunes application that will include  Ping, a social network just like Facebook, Twitter, or Myspace but dedicated to music lovers.
      The new Apple TV is smaller, cheaper, and more efficient than the old one because that's what the customers wanted said Steve Jobs in the event. This proves that Apple's strategic planning involves the people as well as the company's objectives and resources to create products that are not only beautiful but also efficient. Apple will keep on having a differentiation competitive advantage as long as they keep on coming out with new ideas to satisfy the customers by adapting their products according to the ever changing market.