Apple Inc.
Apple Inc., (NASDAQ: AAPL) formerly Apple Computer, Inc., is an Americanmultinational corporation with a focus on designing and manufacturing consumer electronics and software products. The company's best-known hardware products include the Macintosh line of personal computers, the iPod line of portable media players, and the iPhone. Apple's software products include the Mac OS X operating system, iTunes media browser, the iLife suite of multimedia and creativity software, andFinal Cut Studio, a suite of professional audio- and film-industry software products. The company operates more than 200 retail stores in eight countries[4] and an online storewhere hardware and software products are sold. Established in Cupertino, California on April 1, 1976 and incorporated January 3, 1977,[5]the company was called "Apple Computer, Inc." for its first 30 years, but dropped the word "Computer" on January 9, 2007 [6] to reflect the company's ongoing expansion into the consumer electronics market in addition to its traditional focus on personal computers. [7] Apple has about 28,000 employees worldwide[8] and had worldwide annual sales of US$24 billion in its fiscal year ending September 29, 2007. [9] 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. This includes a customer base that is devoted to the company and its brand, particularly in the United States.[10] Fortune magazine named Apple the most admired company in the United States.[11]
