Apple Mission Statement | Vision | Core Values | Strategy (2024 Analysis)

Company: Apple Inc.
CEO: Tim Cook
Year founded: 1976
Headquarter: Cupertino, California, USA
Employees (2022): 164,000
Type: Public
Ticker Symbol: AAPL
Market Cap (Mar 2023): $2.29 Trillion
Annual Revenue (FY2022): $394.32 Billion
Profit | Net income (FY2022): $99.8 Billion

Fun Fact:

Ronald Wayne sold his share to Jobs and Wozniak within 12 days after founding Apple.

Table of Contents

An Overview of Apple

Apple is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California. The company was founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne in April 1976. It launched Apple I personal computer in 1976 and Apple II in 1977, coinciding with its incorporation as Apple Computer, Inc. The tech giant designs and sells consumer electronics, including iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, and Apple Watch. It also develops computer software and offers online services. In 2020, Apple launched new features and phones, including iPhone 12 Mini and iPhone 12 Pro Max. Currently, iPhone sales contribute more than 50% of Apple’s revenues. [1]

In Q1 ended December 26, 2020, Apple reported a record $111.4 billion in revenues driven by strong iPhone sales. The company’s quarterly revenue crossed $100 billion for the first time in its history, with a record $65.6 billion from iPhone sales. The quarter also saw an increase in Apple’s international sales to 64%, indicating the company’s rapid growth in markets like India. [2]

Apple is one of the Big Five companies in the US IT industry, along with Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Facebook. To understand why Apple so successful, analyze its mission, vision, and values.

Here is an in-depth analysis of Apple’s mission statement, vision, and values:

Apple’s Mission Statement

Apple’s mission statement is:

“To bringing the best user experience to customers through innovative hardware, software, and services.”

What does Apple’s mission statement mean?

This mission statement highlights Apple’s commitment to offering the best products and services to meet each of its customer’s unique needs. It guides the company towards its long-term goals, which has contributed to its success. Apple’s mission statement consists of three core components:

Best User Experience. Whether it is iPhone, iPad, or wearable, Apple designs all its products to be user-friendly. The company does not compromise when it comes to user experience. Apple’s products come with innovative and user-friendly features, delivering the best experience for the end-user. In 2020, Apple introduced robust location and Bluetooth permissions in iOS 13. In 2021, it unveiled an opt-in ad-tracking feature for iOS 14. These user-friendly privacy features can help protect the personal data of iPhone users and improve their experiences. [3]

Innovative Products. Apple designs products that address the unique needs of its customers. Since its founding, Apple has pushed the standard in product design, usability, and functionality. Apple’s hardware and software solutions cater to various market segments, including education, business, and healthcare. In the past few years, Apple has increased its healthcare presence with innovative products like Apple Watch for detecting heart irregularities. Its Apple Health Records feature for iPhone allows patients to access their medical data via their mobile devices. In Q1 2020, Apple reported $91.8 billion in quarterly revenues with record-high earnings from its healthcare products and services. [4]

Quality Service Delivery. From its App Store, Apple Care, and tech support, Apple is obsessed with customer service. It oversees everything, from design to development, sales, and repairs. This hands-on approach gives Apple an edge over its competitors. A 2020 investigative research awarded Apple 51/60 for online support and 34/40 for phone support with an overall tech support score of 85/100. This score is impressive given that most companies offer poor customer service. [5]

Apple’s Vision Statement

Apple’s vision statement is:

“To make the best products on earth and to leave the world better than we found it.“

What is the meaning of Apple’s vision statement?

Apple’s vision statement guides the company’s decision-making processes, strategic management, and operations. It ensures each decision takes the company closer to realizing its mission and goals. The statement consists of two components:

Leadership in Product Design: From iPhones, iPads, iPods, Macs, microchips, and more, Apple delivers high-quality products to the market. The company seeks to protect its leadership in product design and development by pushing for novel innovations. In April 2021, Apple introduced the new iPad Pro with an industry-leading M1 chip and ultra-fast 5G. Apple-designed M1 chips push the limits of iPad Pro’s performance, making it the fastest device of its kind. The new iPad Pro is 5G-enabled and can reach speeds up to 4Gbps. 5G is the future. So, Apple can rely on this next-gen iPad to protect its global leadership position for many years to come. [6]

Carbon Neutral: Apple’s vision is to attain zero net climate impact across all its operations. In 2020, the company unveiled a plan highlighting its commitment to ensuring all Apple devices are carbon neutral by 2030. According to Apple’s 2020 Environmental Progress Report, the company plans to reduce emissions by 75% and develop innovative carbon removal solutions for the remaining 25% of its footprint by 2030. “With our commitment to carbon neutrality, we hope to be a ripple in the pond that creates a much larger change,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. [7]

Apple’s Core Values

Apple’s values dictate how the company and its employees operate and interact in the workplace and the world.

Accessibility. Apple gives consumers and organizations access to the hardware, software, services, and technologies they need to achieve their goals and aspirations. Developers rely on Apple’s App Store ecosystem to build applications. In 2020, Apple reduced App Store commission to 15% for small enterprises. The program’s reduced commission gives small developers access to App Store and more financial resources to reinvest and grow their businesses. [8]

Support education. The Cupertino-based tech giant gives products, support, and opportunities to schools that need them most. Since 2014, Apple has been part of the connectED initiative and donated over $100 million worth of teaching and learning solutions to more than 100 underserved schools across the US. “We’ve donated an iPad to every student, a Mac and iPad to every teacher, and an Apple TV to every classroom,” said Apple. [9]

A planet-sized plan. Apple is carbon neutral and working to make all its products with clean energy and no carbon footprint by 2030. In 2021, Apple announced the Restore Fund, a first-of-its-kind carbon removal initiative. It will invest $200 million in forestry projects to remove about 1 million metric tons of CO2 annually from the atmosphere. This initiative builds on Apple’s ongoing work in forestry conservation, including a partnership with organizations in Colombia to restore a 27,000-acre mangrove forest. [10]

We’re all in. Apple has strengthened its long-standing commitment to making the workplace more inclusive and promoting justice globally. In May 2021, Apple fired Antonio García Martínez, one of its ad managers, for promoting sexist and racist views in his 2016 book “Chaos Monkeys.” More than 2,000 Apple employees signed an internal petition denouncing sexism and racism. Apple values inclusion and diversity in the workplace. “Behavior that demeans or discriminates against people for who they are has no place here,” said Apple. [11]

Privacy is a human right. Apple designs its products to protect consumers’ privacy and give them control over their information. The company believes that privacy is a fundamental human right. In April 2021, Apple updated its iOS with new privacy controls designed to protect iPhone users from being tracked by digital advertisers. Apple’s more than 1 billion iPhone users will receive a pop-up notification in some apps seeking their permission to collect data. This feature ensures that third-party apps and websites cannot use customers’ data to track them online. [12]

Racial equity and justice. As a global leader in technology, Apple acknowledges its responsibility in the fight against systemic racism and injustice globally. The company committed $100 million through the Racial Equity and Justice Initiative (REJI) to help dismantle racism facing communities of color. Apple banned Parler from its app store for allowing its users to propagate hate and plan the Jan 6^th storming of the US congress. In April 2021, Apple reinstated Parler in the app store after implementing new updates to detect unlawful content and hate speech. [13]

Supplier responsibility. Apple holds its suppliers to the highest labor and human rights standards, health and safety, and environmental practices. To accomplish this, the company conducts a rigorous supplier performance assessment process in these three areas. In 2019, Apple conducted 80 assessments at manufacturing facilities, 50 in the services supply chain, and 291 evaluations at smelting sites and refineries. [14]

References & more information