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Apple Inc.
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL; formerly Apple Computer, Inc.) is an American multinational corporation that designs and sells consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers. The company's best-known hardware products are the Macintosh line of computers, theiPod, the iPhone and the iPad. Its software includes the Mac OS X operating system; the iTunes media browser; the iLife suite of multimedia and creativity software; the iWork suite of productivity software; Aperture, a professional photography package; Final Cut Studio, a suite of professional audio and film-industry software products; Logic Studio, a suite of music production tools; the Safari web browser; and iOS, a mobile operating system.
As of July 2011, Apple has 364 retail stores in thirteen countries,[5] and an online store.[6] It is the largest publicly traded company in the world by market capitalization [7] [8] , as well as the largest technology company in the world by revenue and profit, more than Google and Microsoftcombined.[9][10] As of September 24, 2011, the company had 60,400 permanent full-time employees and 2,900 temporary full-time employees worldwide;[4] its worldwide annual revenue in 2010 totalled $65 billion, growing to $108 billion in 2011.[3]
Fortune magazine named Apple the most admired company in the United States in 2008, and in the world from 2008 to 2012.[11][12][13][14][15]However, the company has received widespread criticism for its contractors' labor, and for its environmental and business practices.[16][17]
Established on April 1, 1976 in Cupertino, California, and incorporated January 3, 1977,[18] the company was named Apple Computer, Inc. for its first 30 years. The word "Computer" was removed from its name on January 9, 2007,[19] as its traditional focus on personal computers shifted towardsconsumer electronics.[20]
As of July 2011, Apple has 364 retail stores in thirteen countries,[5] and an online store.[6] It is the largest publicly traded company in the world by market capitalization [7] [8] , as well as the largest technology company in the world by revenue and profit, more than Google and Microsoftcombined.[9][10] As of September 24, 2011, the company had 60,400 permanent full-time employees and 2,900 temporary full-time employees worldwide;[4] its worldwide annual revenue in 2010 totalled $65 billion, growing to $108 billion in 2011.[3]
Fortune magazine named Apple the most admired company in the United States in 2008, and in the world from 2008 to 2012.[11][12][13][14][15]However, the company has received widespread criticism for its contractors' labor, and for its environmental and business practices.[16][17]
Established on April 1, 1976 in Cupertino, California, and incorporated January 3, 1977,[18] the company was named Apple Computer, Inc. for its first 30 years. The word "Computer" was removed from its name on January 9, 2007,[19] as its traditional focus on personal computers shifted towardsconsumer electronics.[20]
Android
Android is a Linux-based operating system for mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet computers. It is developed by the Open Handset Alliance, led by Google, and other companies.[2]
Google purchased the initial developer of the software, Android Inc., in 2005.[7] The unveiling of the Android distribution in 2007 was announced with the founding of the Open Handset Alliance, a consortium of 86 hardware, software, and telecommunication companies devoted to advancing open standards for mobile devices.[8] Google releases the Android code as open-source, under the Apache License.[9] The Android Open Source Project(AOSP) is tasked with the maintenance and further development of Android.[10]
Android has a large community of developers writing applications ("apps") that extend the functionality of the devices. Developers write primarily in a customized version of Java.[11] Apps can be downloaded from third-party sites or through online stores such as Google Play (formerly Android Market), the app store run by Google. In October 2011, there were more than 500,000 apps available for Android,[12] and the estimated number of applications downloaded from the Android Market as of December 2011 exceeded 10 billion.[13]
Android became the world’s leading smartphone platform at the end of 2010.[14] For the first quarter of 2012, Android had a 59% smartphone market share worldwide, with a 331 million devices installed base and 85 million activations or 934,000 per day.[15] Analysts point to the advantage to Android of being a multi-channel, multi-carrier OS.[16]
Google purchased the initial developer of the software, Android Inc., in 2005.[7] The unveiling of the Android distribution in 2007 was announced with the founding of the Open Handset Alliance, a consortium of 86 hardware, software, and telecommunication companies devoted to advancing open standards for mobile devices.[8] Google releases the Android code as open-source, under the Apache License.[9] The Android Open Source Project(AOSP) is tasked with the maintenance and further development of Android.[10]
Android has a large community of developers writing applications ("apps") that extend the functionality of the devices. Developers write primarily in a customized version of Java.[11] Apps can be downloaded from third-party sites or through online stores such as Google Play (formerly Android Market), the app store run by Google. In October 2011, there were more than 500,000 apps available for Android,[12] and the estimated number of applications downloaded from the Android Market as of December 2011 exceeded 10 billion.[13]
Android became the world’s leading smartphone platform at the end of 2010.[14] For the first quarter of 2012, Android had a 59% smartphone market share worldwide, with a 331 million devices installed base and 85 million activations or 934,000 per day.[15] Analysts point to the advantage to Android of being a multi-channel, multi-carrier OS.[16]
BlackBerry
BlackBerry is a line of smartphone devices developed and designed by Research In Motion (RIM). The first BlackBerry smartphone was released in 1999. [1][2] The latest BlackBerry 7 devices were announced in the Fall of 2011.
BlackBerry devices are smartphones, which are designed to function as personal digital assistants, portable media players, internet browsers, gaming devices, cameras and much more. They are primarily known for their ability to send and receive (push) email and instant messages while maintaining a high level of security through on-device message encryption. BlackBerry devices support a large variety of instant messaging features, with the most popular being the proprietary BlackBerry Messenger service.
BlackBerry accounts for 3% of mobile device sales worldwide in 2011, making its manufacturer RIM the sixth most popular device maker (25% of mobile device sales are smartphones).[3] The consumer BlackBerry Internet Service is available in 91 countries worldwide on over 500 mobile service operators using various mobile technologies.[4] As of October 2011, there were seventy million subscribers worldwide to BlackBerry.[5] At present the Caribbean and Latin America, have the highest penetrations of BlackBerry smartphones worldwide – with up to about 45 per cent in the region having a RIM device.[6]
Modern GSM-based BlackBerry handhelds incorporate an ARM 7, 9 or ARM 11 processor,[7] while older BlackBerry 950 and 957 handhelds usedIntel 80386 processors. The latest BlackBerry models called "Torch" (Torch 9850/9860, Torch 9810, and Bold 9900/9930) have a 1.2 GHzMSM8255 Snapdragon processor, 768 MB system memory), and 8 GB of on-board storage.[8][9] All BlackBerry smartphones after OS 5 support up to 32 GB microSD cards.
BlackBerry devices are smartphones, which are designed to function as personal digital assistants, portable media players, internet browsers, gaming devices, cameras and much more. They are primarily known for their ability to send and receive (push) email and instant messages while maintaining a high level of security through on-device message encryption. BlackBerry devices support a large variety of instant messaging features, with the most popular being the proprietary BlackBerry Messenger service.
BlackBerry accounts for 3% of mobile device sales worldwide in 2011, making its manufacturer RIM the sixth most popular device maker (25% of mobile device sales are smartphones).[3] The consumer BlackBerry Internet Service is available in 91 countries worldwide on over 500 mobile service operators using various mobile technologies.[4] As of October 2011, there were seventy million subscribers worldwide to BlackBerry.[5] At present the Caribbean and Latin America, have the highest penetrations of BlackBerry smartphones worldwide – with up to about 45 per cent in the region having a RIM device.[6]
Modern GSM-based BlackBerry handhelds incorporate an ARM 7, 9 or ARM 11 processor,[7] while older BlackBerry 950 and 957 handhelds usedIntel 80386 processors. The latest BlackBerry models called "Torch" (Torch 9850/9860, Torch 9810, and Bold 9900/9930) have a 1.2 GHzMSM8255 Snapdragon processor, 768 MB system memory), and 8 GB of on-board storage.[8][9] All BlackBerry smartphones after OS 5 support up to 32 GB microSD cards.
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) is an American multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, United States that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services related to computing. It is the largest software corporation in the world measured by revenues.
Microsoft was established on April 4, 1975 to develop and sell BASIC interpreters for the Altair 8800. It rose to dominate the home computer operating system market with MS-DOS in the mid-1980s, followed by the Microsoft Windows line of operating systems. The company's 1986 initial public offering, and the subsequent rise in the share price, created an estimated three billionaires and 12,000 millionaires from Microsoft employees. In May 2011, Microsoft acquired Skype for $8.5 billion in its largest acquisition to date.[2]
As of 2012 Microsoft is market dominant in both the PC operating system and office suite markets (the latter with Microsoft Office). The company is also active in areas including internet search (with Bing), the video game industry (with the Xbox and Xbox 360 consoles), the digital services market (through MSN), and mobile phones (via the Windows Phone OS).
In the 1990s, critics began to contend that Microsoft used monopolistic business practices and anti-competitive strategies including refusal to dealand tying, put unreasonable restrictions in the use of its software, and used misrepresentative marketing tactics; both the U.S. Department of Justiceand European Commission found the company in violation of antitrust laws.
Microsoft was established on April 4, 1975 to develop and sell BASIC interpreters for the Altair 8800. It rose to dominate the home computer operating system market with MS-DOS in the mid-1980s, followed by the Microsoft Windows line of operating systems. The company's 1986 initial public offering, and the subsequent rise in the share price, created an estimated three billionaires and 12,000 millionaires from Microsoft employees. In May 2011, Microsoft acquired Skype for $8.5 billion in its largest acquisition to date.[2]
As of 2012 Microsoft is market dominant in both the PC operating system and office suite markets (the latter with Microsoft Office). The company is also active in areas including internet search (with Bing), the video game industry (with the Xbox and Xbox 360 consoles), the digital services market (through MSN), and mobile phones (via the Windows Phone OS).
In the 1990s, critics began to contend that Microsoft used monopolistic business practices and anti-competitive strategies including refusal to dealand tying, put unreasonable restrictions in the use of its software, and used misrepresentative marketing tactics; both the U.S. Department of Justiceand European Commission found the company in violation of antitrust laws.
Dell
Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) is an American multinational computer technology corporation based in 1 Dell Way, Round Rock, Texas, United States, that develops, sells and supports computers and related products and services. Bearing the name of its founder, Michael Dell, the company is one of the largest technological corporations in the world, employing more than 103,300 people worldwide.[2] Dell is listed at number 41 in the Fortune 500list.[3] It is the third largest PC vendor in the world after HP and Lenovo.[4]
Dell has grown by both increasing its customer base and through acquisitions since its inception; notable mergers and acquisitions includingAlienware (2006) and Perot Systems (2009). As of 2009, the company sold personal computers, servers, data storage devices, network switches,software, and computer peripherals. Dell also sells HDTVs, cameras, printers, MP3 players and other electronics built by other manufacturers. The company is well known for its innovations in supply chain management and electronic commerce.
Fortune Magazine listed Dell as the sixth largest company in Texas by total revenue.[5] It is the second largest non-oil company in Texas – behindAT&T – and the largest company in the Austin, Texas area.[6]
Dell has grown by both increasing its customer base and through acquisitions since its inception; notable mergers and acquisitions includingAlienware (2006) and Perot Systems (2009). As of 2009, the company sold personal computers, servers, data storage devices, network switches,software, and computer peripherals. Dell also sells HDTVs, cameras, printers, MP3 players and other electronics built by other manufacturers. The company is well known for its innovations in supply chain management and electronic commerce.
Fortune Magazine listed Dell as the sixth largest company in Texas by total revenue.[5] It is the second largest non-oil company in Texas – behindAT&T – and the largest company in the Austin, Texas area.[6]