Big Data in Practice

40 APPLE How Big Data Is At The Centre Of Their Business

Background

Technology giant Apple are officially the world’s most valuable brand. Known for their iconic product design and user-friendly interfaces, Apple are in fact more than twice as valuable as the world’s second most valuable brand, Microsoft. But, until relatively recently, Apple weren’t considered much of a Big Data company. Let’s look at how that changed and why.

What Problem Is Big Data Helping To Solve?

In some ways, despite being the most profitable tech company in the world, Apple found themselves having to play catch-up with Big Data. While Apple traditionally employed teams of highly paid experts in aesthetics and design to produce systems they thought people would want to use, competitors like Google examined user data to see how people actually were using them. This gave those competitors an edge with the everyday apps that made smartphones so popular – maps, navigation, voice recognition and other aspects of computing that we want to do on the move. To cement their position as the leader of the pack, Apple needed to get to grips with customer data.

How Is Big Data Used In Practice?

It’s fair to say Apple have now entered the Big Data race with a strong stride. Their powerful presence in the mobile market has put their devices in the hands of millions and they have been keen to encourage development of apps that are based on monitoring and sharing of user data. A notable example is their recently ...