Apple Company is an electronics and software company based in California, USA. Originally known as Apple Computer, the company is familiar to most people as innovators of the personal computer as it is known today. Apple Company had introduced many of the now-commonplace features of personal computers, including the GUI, the mouse, the floppy disk drive, and colour graphics. Apple Computer's Macintosh line of PC's had brought numerous software and hardware components within reach of the average home consumer, often in a stylish case and with an emphasis on usability. The restructured company, now called simply Apple, designs, markets, and sells not only personal computers but also consumer electronics in the form of portable media players and smart phones. Apple also sells intangible goods in the form of software, music, and video. The Apple Store chain operates over 150 branches worldwide, where the devices and software and sold and serviced.
Although Apple does distribute software for the Microsoft Windows operating system, this is limited to its QuickTime media player and iTunes connectivity suite for the iPod. Most of Apple's software revenue comes in the form of optional software for the OS-X operating system, exclusive to Apple's own Macintosh computers. However, software and even computer sales are now only a small part of Apple's operations. The iPod media player is today Apple's main source of revenue, including sales of the player itself and of music and video downloads via the iTunes music store. The recently introduced iPhone is expected to outsell its production quota, thus making the device both exclusive and expensive. Apple TV, introduced in March 2007, is a controversial device that is not expected to bring much income to Apple, rather, to help secure Apple's foothold in the content distribution market. Other Apple hardware devices, such as the X-serve web and file-server and the Apple Cinema display, are not intended for home use and make up a...