It already sits at the top of just about everyone's "cool factor" chart as a world
leader in understanding the power of physical design and ease of use. And now, Apple
has been named Electronic Design's Best
Employer of 2007.
The company, which began as Apple
Computer, has expanded its product line
over the last few years, boosting its revenues, employees, and prestige. The highly
anticipated iPhone won't be released until
June, but the "Cult of Mac" blog posted in
late March that the new device already is
partly responsible for a major change in the
perception of Apple.
Research firm iSuppli gave Apple a perfect
10 in "design influence" in 2006 and 2005.
This measures not only the number of
designs developed by the company, but also
how much semiconductor purchasing results
from these designs. In addition, Business
Week named Apple the top company in its
Top 100 Most Innovative Companies in 2006,
placing it ahead of Google. Furthermore,
Apple ranks seventh on Fortune's Top 20
Most Admired Companies.
Apple's "must have" products, like the
iPod and iPhone, catapulted the company to
the elite among retailers in the United States.
In 2004, the company topped $1 billion in
annual sales faster than any retailer in history—and it did so by selling a steady stream of
its own products.
Talk to some employees, and you'd think
there's no better place to work than Apple.
"Funny, brilliant, relaxed co-workers and modern, spacious, beautiful offices filled with
comfortable couches and huge picture windows make work time a pleasure," said one employee on Apple's site on Vault, which conducts online workplace surveys.
The work culture is very laid back.
Managers usually set work schedules,
which vary by department. In some cases,
employees come and go as they please.
Telecommuting also is allowed with management approval.
While many employees admit Apple has
changed over the past 10 years, many insiders stay put. One senior hardware engineer,
who worked in Cupertino from late 1999 to
the end of 2004, said on Vault that he was
"surrounded by a lot of energetic people
and experienced no end to challenges and
cool projects. However, there was no end to
the hours."
Another engineer who left the company
said he liked the casual dress code and the
diversity in most working groups. "There were
good opportunities for advancement in the
lower levels, but a major blockade at management levels. I would not have traded the
experience for anything, but I can't imagine
going back at this point in my career, with
limited opportunities for career growth and
rewards."
"There's a passion for products and
attention to the most minute details," posted a Mac specialist who also briefly worked
at Apple. "Many of the people working at
[Apple] stores, particularly if they're full
time and/or middle management, have no
sense of humor, and political correctness is
obsessive."
With input from Apple, Wikipedia says
Apple's corporate culture resembles other
very successful companies founded in the
1970s, those that bucked tradition in terms of organizational hierarchy. It compares
Apple to Southwest Airlines and Microsoft—
an attitude influenced by the company's
founders, who often walked around the office
barefoot, even after Apple became a Fortune
500 company.
By the time Apple broadcast its still-famous "1984" TV commercial, this trait had
become a key way the company differentiated itself from its competitors. And as Apple's
original character changed along with its top
management, it retained a reputation for
innovation that pulled talented people into
the company. It even recognizes its most
extraordinary technical talent through its
Apple Fellows program.
Founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs and Steve
Wozniak, Apple now has nearly 18,000 full-time employees. Its sales grew by 39% in
2006, with staff expanding by 20% to support that growth. Of the $19 billion in sales,
about $7.4 billion came from Macintosh computers and about $7.7 billion from iPods, a
relatively new line of products. Mac OS, iPod,
Quick Time, Logic Pro, and iPhone are household words.
Like most large industry companies,
Apple's employee "uppers" include stock and
product discounts, substantial vacation time,
fee-based health care, training courses,
brown-bag lunches with execs, and casual
dress on the job. But according to reports
filed with Vault, its downers include long
work days.
Finally, Apple did fairly well in winning
patents in 2006. It received 106 U.S. patents
during the year, partly a result of the company increasing its R&D spending by 33%, or
$177 million.