Apple has ridden a roller coaster of success and failure since its launch back in 1976. Luckily its now riding a wave where its products are in demand like never before. It's transitioned from being a brand favoured by designer 'geeks' to a brand favoured by the mass market.
Its fortunes turned when it launched the iMac 'all-in-one PC' in 1998 and was cemented when its iPod launched in 2001 creating a simple to use MP3 player combined iTunes its software product allowing easy purchase and synchronisation of music files. With 220m+ iPods now sold a whole new generation of users were introduced to Apple and their experiences migrated to sales of its MacBook range of laptops and latterly into buying its market beating iPhones.
Apple's full product range includes:
 For most people the iPod was their first experience or interaction with an Apple product. Whilst at launch other players were on par in terms of functionality, a combination of outstanding & minimal design, sleek body, click wheel controls and simple track management made the iPod an immediate hit with Apple fans.
The media quickly jumped onto hype surrounding the player and the rest is history.
A sequence of model updates and sub brands has made the iPod the market leader in MP3 Players and the signs are that this will continue for the foreseeable future. The problem other manufactures have is that whilst they can develop new features and designs it continues to be hard for them to change attitudes and perceptions...
The iPod range currently includes the iPod Classic (based on original iPod design), iPod Nano (the baby version of the classic), iPod Shuffle (tiny random MP3 Player) and the iPod Touch (touch screen iPod with multimedia functionality)
 Mac is a generic name covering Apple's range of desktop and laptop computers. Epitomised by sleek designs, simple set-up and fast installation, incorporating simple user interfaces, strong image editing and limited exposure to hacking and malware Mac are starting to increase sales and pull market share from Microsofts Windows platform.
The Mac range currently includes Mac mini (sub desktop computer), iMac (all-in-one desktop computer), Mac Pro (powerful desktop / workstation), MacBook (main consumer focussed laptop), Macbook Pro (Profession version of Macbook), MacBook Air (Ultra thin and portable laptop) and Xserve (Rack mounted servers).
In addition Apple supports it's Mac range with a wide variety of accessories including AirPort (wireless networking system), Cinema Display (Widescreen Display unit), Magic Mouse (multi-touch mouse), Time Capsule (Backup device) and a wireless keyboard
 From introducing its first model back in 2007 the iPhone has been phenomenally successful as it blended together its iPod range of MP3 Players with mobile phone capabilities. Its ability to simply migrate smartphone technology to the masses by the use of touchscreen controls has made it the device other manufacturers have been fighting hard to match. Its use of motion controls and accelerometers opened up a wide range of possibilities for developers to build applications around. Its more recent 3G models have increased data transfer rates and incorporated GPS technology allowing for a true all in one Phone, Camera, Media Player, Internet Client and SatNav unit.
In total the iPhone has sold over 30m units worldwide and whilst Android has successfully launched a push into the same market space that the iPhone occupies it will be a while before anyone can match or overtake the popularity of this Apple product. Recent reports are currently surfacing that an upgraded version of the 3GS will be released shortly which is likely to be packed with another batch of innovative features
 Back in 2007 Apple launched its Apple TV product with the aim of allowing a user's content to be seamlessly viewed on the big screen and complemented by content downloaded from the Internet via its iTunes Store.
Its current 160GB model allows content to be purchased directly from the Apple TV box.
 Focussing on its deign heritage Apple offers a range of software created specifically for its Mac range of machines. Much of it pre-installed on shipped systems or can be easily installed.
Software includes the iLife bundle (basic software - iDVD, iMovie, iPhoto, iTunes, GarageBand, and iWeb), iWorks (office software - Keynote, Pages, and Numbers), iTunes, QuickTime media player and Safari web browser.
Its professional range of software includes Apple Remote Desktop (re mote systems management), WebObjects, Java EE Web application server, Xsan (Storage Area Network file system) Aperture (photo processing), Final Cut Studio (video production), Logic, (music toolkit ) and Shake (advanced effects program).
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