If you had to give your opinion of Apple, what would you say?Â
Sometimes it just takes one product- one very special product-for a company to make it big. In Apple’s case, the release of the iPod in 2001 helped the company regain its former glory. While making the company hip again, the iPod delivered billions in revenues.
In the 1980s, with its flagship Macintosh computer, the company was flying high. Yet competition from IBM and low-cost computer makers ate away at Apple’s market share. Later, as cheap PCs running Microsoft’s software became popular, Apple slid even further.
The return of company founder Steve Jobs in the late 1990s was the beginning of Apple’s turnaround. Its new iMac computers became a big hit. Yet that was nothing compared to the success of the tiny iPod.
The first iPod was an easy-to-use digital music player. It wasn’t a new concept, but the look and features of Apple’s offering made it more attractive than other devices. The first iPod could store 1,000 songs, a huge amount at the time. And its modern design and soft white color turned the music player into a fashion statement.
In the years that followed, the iPod’s popularity grew. Apple re- leased version after version, keeping the product fresh and up-to-date with the newest technology. New features were added over time, including color screens, photo viewing, and the ability to watch videos.
Apple’s iTunes software made it easy to transfer songs from a computer to an iPod. The company also started selling songs and videos on the Internet, another successful part of the iPod equation. In fact, by January 2008, more than four billion songs had been purchased from the iTunes Web site.
The numbers for the iPod are also impressive. In just a few short years, from 2001 to late 2007, more than 150 million iPods were sold. Sales of the product grew to represent more than half of all of Apple’s revenues. In just the first quarter (Q1) of 2007, that meant $3.4 billion in revenues (see chart). Now that’s music to a company’s ears.
1. According to the article, what was causing Apple to lose business?
A. The loss of Steve Jobs a CEO
B. The popularity of cheap PC
C. The poor reaction to the first McIntosh
D. Competition from other digital music players
2. How has Apple been able to keep the iPod hip and cool:
A. By regularly improving the product
B. By copying the features of other music players
C. By including a video watching feature with the first iPod
D. By keeping the price stable
3. What does «store» in the fourth paragraph mean?
A. Shop
B. Place
C. Supply
D. Hold
4. What can be concluded about Apple’s revenues?
A. the company always had revenue problems before the iPod’s release
B. from 2003 to 2007 total revenues and iPod revenues both grew quickly
C. They more than doubled from Q1 2004 to Q1 2005
D. they totaled about $1.55 billion in 2003
5. What does the article imply about the iPod?
A. It is responsible for all of Apple’s profits
B. It is the only portable digital music player on the market.
C. It was an important part of Apple’s turnaround.
D. It was the first digital music player on the market.
How would you describe this chart?
Every presentation starts the same …
Remember from the impromptu style, having a strong start makes getting into the swing of things (makes getting the ball rolling) that much easier.Â
Accept the MissionÂ
Your boss, supervisor or other co-worker may be the person to put you in the position the deliver the presentation. Sounding confident is the key to starting strong and staying strong. Being confident comes from preparation.Â
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Accept the Mission
Introduce Yourself
Give an Overview
Mention the Timing
Address Questions Asking
Simple Past Tense
(you have finished the time period you are talking about)
«As you can see, from 2003 to 2005 the sales remained consistent …»Â
«… then in 2005, both iPod revenues and total Apple revenues increased slightly until 2006 …»Â
«… while remaining steady both revenues continued to increase equally until 2007 …»Â
«… and finally as you can see in 2007, iPod sales took off and increased sharply in sales …»Â
«In conclusion you can see that in just five years on the market, the iPod revenues accounted for 60% of total Apple revenues.»Â
to regain  (verb) – to get something back again.
hip  (adj) – cool and fashionable.
a flagship thing (noun) – a leading item or product from a company.
market share (noun) – the portion of the market that is held by one single company.
a turn around (noun) –Â a change of direction.
a fashion statement (noun) – something that stands out and tries to say something about the user.
fresh (adjective) –Â modern and new.
a feature (noun) – a special characteristic or key function.
an equation (noun) – a situation with many variables.
impressive (adj) – causing admiration.
to fly high (verb) – to feel great; to be in an excellent position.
More expressions here
Competition has never been more intense for admittance into the nation’s top law schools. The application essay represents your only chance to plea your case to admissions officers. Why select you over so many other qualified applicants?
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