Industry background Essentially, international trade is often a characteristic of the computer industry, rather than a mere contributing factor (Bardhan, Jaffee & Kroll, 2004). Currently, even the smallest businesses have become active in marketing their products or services internationally. Personal computing has emerged to be the most important contributing factor to overseas labor employment due to production costs. The continued increase in productivity within the computing industry is steered by the continued advancements in technology. Efficiency and other achievements result from the ever changing technology for the better. Among the major product lines in the electronic industry are the computers which also form the core products of the electronic companies. However, Apple’s computers have lost significant demand due to the limitations the company experiences from complementary products. Hewlett-Packard and Dell have continued to dominate the computer market with their products having a higher demand than other competitors. Compared to Apple, firms like Dell and HP are substantially bigger and provide substitute products which attract many consumers due to their compatibility. Sony, Samsung and LG have focused more on consumer electronics such as televisions, digital cameras, mobile phones, gaming consoles, DVD players and digital speakers. Company background Previously known as Apple Computer Inc, Apple store is a global company that produces computers, software and consumer electronics. Its major products are personal computers, iPhone, iPod, iPad and iTune Store. The company was established in 1976 by two electronic engineers, Wozniak and Jobs, who released the first computer called Apple 1. Since then, Apple store has dominated the personal computer market through innovative products such as the Power Mac and Macintosh, but encountered marketing problems in the 90s. Through Steve Jobs, the firm seeded innovative technologies that led to the introduction of new products such as the iPhone, iPad and iTune music store. The company became the new market leader in consumer electronics with the latest success coming from a range of products including the iPod Touch, iTunes, the iPhone, and the iPad (Apple Inc., 2011). Presently, the company is the global leader in technology with revenue of $60 billion after overtaking Microsoft in terms of market capitalization in 2010. Sony was founded as a telecommunication engineering company by Akio, Masaru and Tamon in 1946 (Dogruer et al, 2001, p.4). The firm immediately adopted transistor technology to produce radios, home video recorders and microphones. Due to pressures from competition, Sony diversified beyond consumer electronics and started producing computer chips and computer peripherals. Later, the company entered the gaming machines after Nintendo became very successful in the industry. Due to rapid growth through mergers, Sony expanded to other major markets for consumer electronics such as Europe and America. So far, the company has focused on consumer electronics and in particular televisions, digital cameras and game machines. The company is also a major producer of personal computers and computer microchips. Product overview There are four major product segments that defines Sony’s portfolio. They include ele