This blog has examined the ways that 2014 will be a successful one for Apple if the company is able to bring the rumored hardware and services to market. However, there could be another change coming to the technology giant over the next 12 months. This would be the move to becoming a luxury brand.
In a recent column from The Week, Marc Ambinder examined Apple's hire of former CEO of Burberry Angela Ahrendts, and what it means for the future of the company's retail and online shopping experience.
"The company not only wants to refurbish its stores and web portals but also wants to make them more fashionable, more stylish, and by extension, Apple products more luxurious," Ambinder wrote. "I believe that Apple intends to focus on the prestige of its products, especially as it moves into wearable tech, even as it makes a play for a middle class market primarily interested in function."
Ahrendts took a stale image that had become Burberry and was able to breathe new life into the British fashion house which improved sales numbers. Apple is hoping for similar success and has been looking to improve its retail arm, which has been spinning its wheels since former retail head Ron Johnson left for J.C. Penney in November 2011.
If changes are to come to Apple retail stores, business customers may feel out of place. This makes IT consulting firms that specialize in Mac integration and repair a valuable resource for any company looking to add Apple devices.
