The competitors that keep Apple awake at night

Apple provides a wide range of products and services covering multiple fields and industries. At the same time, the company also faces strong competitors in multiple fields, including personal computers (PCs), entertainment media, mobile payments, etc. The following is a list of Apple's main competitors in different industries.

Personal computer field:

Although Microsoft-powered personal computers have been the mainstay of consumer computing since the 1980s, Apple has a loyal following of users who are very happy with its Macintosh computers and Safari operating system. Overall, Apple's main competitors in the personal computer space include Dell, HP, Acer and Lenovo.

Mobile computing:

The iPod has triggered a huge change in Apple's business model and has also stimulated the development of the entire mobile computing industry. So far, Apple is still the most profitable and highest-grossing company in the industry. In general, Apple's main competitors in the mobile computing field include Google, Samsung, Nokia and Asus.

Smartphone field:

The smartphone industry was once dominated by the former Canadian giant Research in Motion, but the introduction of the iPhone by Apple has changed that landscape dramatically. The iPhone has destroyed RIM's business model to such an extent that it has even led to several restructurings. Google produces the Android operating system that is installed in non-Apple phones from Huawei, Samsung, Sony, HTC, Lenovo and many other manufacturers, making them Apple's main competitors in the smartphone space.

Entertainment media and application areas:

The two major companies in the entertainment media and application field are Apple and Google. Apple's iOS system is mainly configured in the company's own iPhone and iPod products, while Google's Android system is configured in most competitors' mobile phones and tablets. Apple and Google's respective operating systems interact with iTunes and Google Play stores respectively to allow users to purchase music, books, applications and other media products. Therefore, in the entertainment media and application field, Apple's main competitor is Google.

Mobile payment field:

Apple is a relative newcomer to the mobile payments industry, which it entered in October 2014. Apple CEO Tim Cook said the company’s mobile payment app had more than 1 million users within the first 72 hours of its launch, which quickly made Apple Pay’s user base “more than all of its competitors combined.” Overall, Apple’s main competitors in the mobile payments space are PayPal and Google.