Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Final project

                                                Apple, Inc


Introduction


Apple Inc., formerly Apple Computer, Inc., is a multinational corporation that creates consumer electronics, computer software, and commercial servers. Apple's core product lines are the iPad, iPhone, iPod music player, and Macintosh computer line-up. Founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak effectively created Apple Computer on April 1, 1976, with the release of the Apple I, and incorporated the company on January 3, 1977, in Cupertino, California. For more than two decades, Apple Computer was predominantly a manufacturer of personal computers, including the Apple II, Macintosh, and Power Mac lines, but it faced rocky sales and low market share during the 1990s. Jobs, who had been ousted from the company in 1985, returned to become Apple's CEO in 1996 after his company NeXT was bought by Apple Inc., and he brought with him a new corporate philosophy of recognizable products and simple design. With the introduction of the successful iPod music player in 2001, Apple established itself as a leader in the consumer electronics industry, dropping "Computer" from its name. The latest era of phenomenal success for the company has been in the IOS range of products that began with the iPhone, iPod Touch and now iPad. As of 2011[update], Apple is the largest technology firm in the world, with annual revenues of more than $60 billion.



Apple is a consumer goods company, and therefore evaluating its value requires understanding its products and consumers. This can be very difficult because Apple competes with many different companies throughout the different industries it takes part in. A good description from Wikipedia describes Apple: "For reasons varying from its philosophy of comprehensive aesthetic design to its distinctive advertising campaigns, Apple has established a unique reputation in the consumer electronics industry." One of the most unique things about Apple is that it has a very strong customer base. This is extremely important in understanding Apple!

Another thing to know about Apple is that a lot of press is associated with their CEO, Steven P. Jobs. He is seen as the architect of many of Apple's amazing products, and the reason for their success. His presentations at Apple's media events are "electrifying" and revolutionary. Given his superstar image, his status and health as Apple's CEO ties into how investors value Apple, and for this reason we must follow him. For instance, earlier in the year there was an inaccurate report that he sustained a heart attack, and rumors flew through the internet, briefly dropping Apple's stock price 5%.

Comparing a Steve Jobs presentation to most presentations is nearly impossible — he’s in a league all his own. In my opinion, Apple chief executive Steve Jobs is the most charismatic pitchman in business today. His presentations are brilliant demonstrations of visual storytelling that motivate customers, employees, investors, and the entire computer industry.

Apple INC Early Developments

The company early in 1971, at the age of 16 Steve jobs and 21 year old Steve Wordsworth, Virginia (two history forever of Steve jobs Cardiff's friend introduced and meet the).

 In 1976, success in persuading jobs woz of the machine more and more than assembly to sell, they another friend, ROM Wayne (Ron Wayne) also join, three in April 1, 1976 the company of apple computer. In The same year may, jobs and a local computer store The Byte Shop negotiation, officials say if The computer assembled perfectly will be interested. The shopkeeper Paul tyreal (Paul Terrell) be much more long term, he'd like to order 50 department, and on delivery to pay $500 each. Steve jobs made this an order, in order to raise money and sell their various valuable things to fundraising (like a computer and a mass van). Steve jobs to large electronic components distributor Cramer Electronics order parts, store credit manager asked how a jobs bill, he said: "I have a Byte Shop to book me 50 computers order, payment is to cash on delivery, if you give me 30 days payment, I can in the time limit for the payment of the computer assembly in good, delivery to terry then later paid account." The manager was at the Pacific Ocean at the IEEE computer at the conference tyrael query, surprised at the tough jobs, tyreal confirmation of order to the manager said that if the delivery to his words jobs, jobs must have enough money to pay. Their three people and two friends family car borrow jobs all day and night to assembly room and marathon test, and finally, on deadline to tyrael delivery, tyreal as had promised pay jobs, make him pay the components of the bill, and make a substantial amount of use to celebrate and from a venture capital to testing field for. Highest market value
This was later named Apple I computer have several significant characteristics. When most computer doesn't have the monitor, Apple I but to TV as a display. Contrast the display of the later, Apple I display function can only slowly that 60 words per second. In addition, the host of the ROM includes guide (Bootstrap) code, which make it easier to start. Finally, in Paul terry's insistence, also designed a woz for loading and storage procedures with the cassette tapes of interfaces to 1200 m bit/SEC speed high-speed operation. Although Apple I design is quite simple, but it still is a masterpiece, and the host than other parts need less won the masters of design woz reputation. Finally Apple I were produced 200 department. Steve jobs has died in 2011. After this, woz has successfully designed more advanced than Apple I the Apple II. Steve jobs wants to expand and the company will be to the bank, but Wayne for four years ago to the risk investment failure psychological shadow and quit. At the time, the lack of capital source apple computer. Steve jobs finally meet Michael horse khoja (" Mike "Markkula), Michael khoja horse inject $92000 and jobs and signed the $250000 bank loan, in January 1977, apple computer company was registered as' apple computer Co., LTD". Had the money and new design scheme in hand, in April, Apple II of the West bank in the first Computer exhibition (West Coast Computer Fair) available for the first time. Apple II and Apple I biggest difference including the redesigned TV interface, which shows that it is integrated into the memory, this more than help show that simple words, including images, even have a color display. And there is a improved shell and keyboard. Apple II in the computer world is widely known as creates the market product family computer, in the 1980 s has sold millions of department. Apple II family produce a lot of different models, including Apple IIe and IIgs, the new computer until the end of the 1990 s in many school can still be found. When apple market in 1980, when, they attract capital than in 1956 after ford listed any initial public offerings of shares of the company (IPO), and any history than we create more millionaires. In five years the company has entered the world company 5,, was the fastest record.
Apple I

Trend Analysis

First of all, Current ratio which is the ratio focuses on current assets ad current liabilities. It is belong to the short-term solvency ratios which are intended to provide information about a firm’s liquidity. So, they are also called liquidity measures. That is to say, the current ratio is used to know a firm’s ability to pay its bills over the short run without undue stress. The current ratio is defined as:
Current ratio = Current asset/Current liabilities
Now let us look how the current ratios have changed over the past years period for the Apple. From 2006-2009, the current ratios are respectively 1.014066, 1.743653, 2.871501, 1.015852. According to the numbers, we can know that the current ratio in 2008 is the highest. So, is it best? I would like to say-Not necessarily. The reason is that, to a firm, a high current ratio indicates liquidity, but it also may indicate an inefficient use of cash and other short-term assets. However, for a healthy firm, the current ratio is usually higher than one.  But, as a short-time creditor, 2008 is the best year. Because for them, the higher of the current ratio, the better.
After the Short-term solvency, let’s see one of the long-term solvency measures-TIE ratios. TIE ratios which is named the times interest earned ratio which is an common measure of long-term solvency in order to measures how well a company has its interest obligations covered, and it is often called the interest coverage ratio. And it is defined as:
Times Interest earned ratio = EBIT/Interest
 So, let us see the numbers, from 2006-2009, the TIE ratios are 1.774243, 2.590618, 1.098983, -2.10732. From all of these numbers, we can tell that the company was doing a lost. At 2009, the IIE was unexpectedly a negative number. It shapely decreased compared with the last pasted three years. However, there is a problem with the IIE ratios which is that is based on EBIT, which is not really a measure of cash available to pay interest. So, it is necessarily means the company did a real lost during 2009. It just shows the trend for the company was going down.
We next turn our attention to the efficiency of how the company uses its assets. So, we are going to move to the Inventory turnover which can be formula as:
Inventory turnover = Cost of goods sold / Inventory
The inventory turnover which is one kind of asset utilization ratios that are intended to describe how efficiently, or intensively, a firm uses its assets to generate sales. And then let us use the numbers to analysis, form 2006-2009, the numbers of the Inventory turnover are respectively: 1.486978, 1.523671, 1.49713, and 1.263395. We can find the numbers are almost keep in a constantly lever. So, it can reflect that the company managed its assets steady during those years. But, I have to say, as long as the company is not running out of stock, the higher this ratio is, the more efficiently it is managing inventory.
At last, we are going to look at one of the profitability measures-Profit Margin. It is used to measure how efficiently the firm uses its assets and how efficiently the firm manages its operations. It can be defined as:
Profit margin = Net income/Sales
From 2006-2009, the profit margin are 0.03999, 0.025891, 0.00199, -0.16195, the company was committing an obviously lost. The profit margin was decreasing year by year. So, normally, a relatively high profit margin is good.

Peer Analysis


               As we all know, the competitors are around anywhere and anytime for any field of Business. According to http://finance.yahoo.com/q/co?s=AAPL , Apple also has some direct competitors. Such as, Google Inc., Hewlett-Packard Company and so on. And then, I am going to compare some recently data of finance ratios between Apple Inc. and Google based on the website of www.reuters.com. Below is the recently data of some finance ratios for the two companies:
                                      Apple                                                    Google
Current ratio:                    1.58                                                      5.63                   
Total debt -equity:              0                                                        7.67
Inventory turnover:         70.53                                                   20.3
Profit margin:                  20.95                                                     26.78
Price-sale ratio:                3.22                                                      5.39
According to the data, it is not hard for us to find, there is a huge difference between these two companies.  Google has a much higher current ratio than Apple, as I mentioned before, it may indicate liquidity or an inefficient use of cash and other short-term assets.  However, from the Total-debt to equity, we can see Google has a way more long-term debt than Apple. Moreover, the Inventory turnover ratio of Apple is much higher than the Google’s, which means, Apple did much better than Google in managing the inventory or asset. The Profit margin and Price-sales ratio are almost similar.

Conclusion


Based on the most recently date of some financial ratios, it obviously shows Apple Inc. is doing a great job at this time and age compare with its directly competitor-Google Inc.  Even though the trend analysis shows, during the past few years, was not so good.

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