Apple And Digital Distribution
Apple and Digital Distribution
Apple Inc., is a company first incorporated on January 3rd, 1977 as a manufacturer of personal computer devices. No one could have predicted that it would have such a large role in the evolution of digital distribution a little more than thirty years later.
Not only did Apple change the way that music and applications are distributed, but it has a potential to influence and guide how technology and we as users evolve over the next thirty years.
This case study will focus on the evolution of digital distribution, what successes Apple has had in changing the industry, and what challenges and opportunities lie in the evolution of its operations strategy moving forward.
Background Information
To understand why Apple has had such success in implementing its digital distribution scheme, it is important to understand how the music and software industries have evolved over the past decade.
Traditionally, to purchase their favorite songs, customers would go to a local music shop, purchase a CD (or tapes, or records) and bring them home to play them on their stereo system. Sharing of music usually meant lending someone a particular CD. This model was very similar with music audiotapes and even records. Computer applications faces a similar fate, as users had to physically go to a computer shop to search for a particular application they needed. Once they found the application, they had to go home, and install it. In certain cases, if drivers were required, they would have to go back to the store and repeat the process. As more and more computers became available with CD writing technology, users had the ability to burn (or write) songs or applications onto CD. However, the music industry tried to restrict this by adding encryption and copy protection to CDs. This would prevent users from copying or distributing music illegally.
Throughout the late 90s the internet grew from a mysterious void reserved for computer geeks and...
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