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"Apple in Switzerland has one of the highest market shares worldwide"
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Apple in Switzerland
By: Ron Mwanga
Rating: 
When thinking about Switzerland, chocolates, watches, banking systems and the cantonal system of government are more than likely the thoughts that come up. Actually, Apple is also quite strong here. MacDirectory takes a look at Apple and its operations in Switzerland.
Switzerland has no natural resources, and as a result, education and knowledge have become the country's most important resources. Thus, technology and its uses have become very important for the nation’s economy. Switzerland, as it happens, also claims to have one of the world's best education systems. The capital of Switzerland is Bern City, also the capital of the canton Bern.
Switzerland is also known as "Confoederatio Helvetica," or, as they have it, the abbreviation CH. "Confoederatio" stands for "confederation," "" comes from the Latin word "Helvetier," which is the name of the people who lived in the region which later became Switzerland. The "Edelweiss," which you might remember from Rogers' and Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music, has the status of an unofficial national flower of Switzerland. About 65 percent of the population speaks German, and the rest a variety of European languages, running the gamut from French to Italian and even Rumanian.
About 40 percent of the Swiss population is employed in what the government calls Industry, Trade and Handicraft, which is also considered the secondary sector. Industry, Trade and Handicraft includes the Maschinen-und Metallindustrie (machine and metal industry), Uhrenindustrie (watch industry) and the Textilindustrie (textile industry), as well as the high-tech sector.
Much of the products of this sector are exported abroad, which benefits Switzerland because of the relative strength of the Swiss Franc. The strength of the Franc and Swiss exports are balanced out, however, by the fact that Switzerland does not belong to the European Union.
Switzerland has entered the Internet age with both barrels blazing. Already, such intricate and specific sites as Swiss Genealogy on the Internet and Macintouch (macintouch.ch) draw high traffic each month. In fact, Switzerland is host to about 19 magazines, many of which are devoted to gaming (Gameplex, Gaming News Network-Switzerland) and, of course, Macs although MacWorld Switzerland was discontinued back in 1997. Another interesting English website devoted to Macs and Mac enthusiasts is the Apple Users Club (auc.ch). This group has weekly meetings held every Tuesday.
Perhaps one of the best sites in Switzerland for the Mac enthusiast, Swiss University Macintosh Group (unimac.switch.ch) is exceptional. The Macintosh Users Group offers support, product demonstrations, up to the minute news, program tips and monthly meetings.
Switzerland's technology sector has had problems recently that echo the issues that the United States faced at its beginning. The telephone sector, for example, was de-monopolized in the late 1990’s. Readers from the United States may remember the great debates of Bell and the baby Bells in the 1980’s. Before de-monopolization, Swiss telephone and telecommunication services were provided by the government through the Post, Telefon, Telegram, or the Postal services, Telephony, Telegraphy. The PTT was divided into the two distinct organizations: Post, or the postal service, and Swisscom, or the telecommunication services. While the government holds the majority of the shares, it is a public limited company.
The government has embraced technology in a manner that is rare for nation-states. Switzerland's Center for Technology Assessment (TA-SWISS) is attached to the Swiss Science and Technology Council, which advises the federal government. TA-SWISS "provides comprehensive information on the chances and risks of new technological achievements," according to its site.
One of TA-SWISS' benefits to solving problems is its interdisciplinary basis. This generalist approach allows the future uses of an emergent technology to be viewed from different perspectives. As TA-SWISS' website puts it: "Questions on the impact of a technology on the environment, business, politics, human health, etc. are taken up just as are those questions on the ethical implications of technical change."
TA-SWISS' primary function is to study fields of technology which are considered by public opinion to be controversial. One example of a controversial paper published by TA-SWISS involves stem cell research, which is still a subject of heated debate in the United States.
The history of TA-SWISS is interesting. In 1991, the Federal Council and Parliament decided that the Swiss Science Council should create a Swiss model for the assessment of the consequences of technology. One year later the proud Swiss stunned the world by voting against joining the European Union. By 1996, the Centre for Technology Assessment was up and running, confronting major policy issues on technology. TA-SWISS provides not only the general public and parliament but also the researchers themselves with decision aids for the assessment of the effects of scientific research and technological development.
MacDirectory asked Andrea Brack, director of Public Relations and Marketing Communication of Apple in Switzerland about Apple's sales in Switzerland. "We cannot give out any sales figures for Switzerland," replied Andrea, "but Apple In Switzerland has one of the highest Market shares worldwide, overall approximately over 10 percent, in Education environment K12 about 40 - 50 percent in Higher Education (Universities) about 30 - 40 percent."
Although Apple enthusiasts in Switzerland do not have Apple specific tradeshows and events, they can now enjoy online special events. "A live press briefing on Apple releases including updates on Mac OS," explained Brack. Apple also did a similar promotion in Iceland years ago, which suggests that the more neglected regions in Europe, where the technology remains popular, are being courted.
As the battle for market share in Europe gains fire, Apple Switzerland is going to receive continuing attention from Cupertino. Apple Switzerland currently has 3 Apple stores, two located in Zürich and one in Genf. Apple is seriously courting Switzerland.
And just what is the profile of the average Swiss Apple user, MacDirectory wondered. "Swiss people in general love Apple products, since Swiss people have a high sense of quality and design, acceptance and usage of New Technologies is generally high in Switzerland.”
MacDirectory finally asked Brack what is Apple's strategy for Switzerland? "Growth in all Apple market segments," replied Brack. "Consumer, Professional Creatives, Education, Small and Medium Business," she continued, outlining the order of Apple's priorities. Apple Switzerland seems on point with the strategies of the other divisions around the world.
Switzerland Quick Facts
Languages > Even though Switzerland is a small country, its people do speak no less than four languages. The so called "German speaking" Swiss don't speak the same German as the Germans or the Austrians do, but what is known as "Swiss-German". To make it even worse, each state has its own dialect, but there is no written "Swiss-German" at all! Fortunately, the Germans, the Austrians and the Swiss-Germans use the same written German language.
Food > Preparation of food varies greatly all over the country. Generally speaking, basic food items include a huge selection of bread, dairy products, and a great variety of the world famous Swiss cheese. Locally grown fruits include different types of berries, such as black berries, blueberries, raspberries, red currants and strawberries. Finally, including the second type of food that Switzerland is world famous for: Swiss chocolate.
Economy > About two-thirds of the area of Switzerland is covered with forests, lakes and mountains. Since Switzerland has no mineral resources, it must import, process and resell them as products. "Services" are the most important part of the economy. This includes banking, assurances and tourism. Farming is also an important part of the economy but Switzerland must rely on imported goods from other countries.
Education > Since Switzerland has no natural resources, education and knowledge have become vitally important. Therefore Switzerland claims to have one of the world's best education systems. Because the cantons are responsible for educational services education may vary significantly between cantons. In Switzerland, most children go to public schools.
The Flag > The white cross on the red back has a religious background. It represents the cross on Jesus was crucified, the red color represents his blood. Each arm of the cross has to be of the same size and must be 1/6 longer than wide. National motto, flower, animal. Some cantons do have a motto or an animal.
Work Ethic > The Swiss work a lot, an average of 42 hours a week. Full-time employees are entitled to leave of only 20 working days per year. This is less than in many other European countries. There are generally eight or nine public holidays. In 1985, the Swiss rejected a general increase in vacation entitlement from four to five weeks and in 2002 they voted against the introduction of the 36-hour week.
Geography > Switzerland is a small, landlocked country in the heart of Europe. It has a strategic location at the crossroads of central Europe with many easily traversable passes. Switzerland hosts about 20% of the Alps. Approximately 100 peaks are close to or higher than 4000 meters (13125 feet) above sea levels. Swiss figures Surface area: 41,300 km2 (15,941 square miles, 1.5 thousandths of the earth's inhabited surface).
Weather > Temperature varies greatly between different places. The highest precipitation receives Rochers de Nave, a mountain near Montreux with approximately 260 cm per year. Precipitation is generally higher in the western part of Switzerland where often clouds come in from the Atlantic coast. Also the parts south of the Alps get quite some rain. The average amount of sunshine per year is approximately 1,700 hours.
Currency > The "Schweizerfranken" (Swiss Francs) or short "Franken". One hundred "Rappen" make up one Swiss Franc. CHF is the ISO representation for Swiss francs; however, the old notation sFr. is still used quite often Switzerland is not part of the European Union and therefore the Euro (EUR) is not an official currency in our country. You can exchange Euro (EUR) for Swiss Francs (CHF) and vice-versa at every bank or post office and at most railway stations.
Population > In comparison with other European countries the number of foreigners taking Swiss nationality is quite low, although the proportion of foreigners in the resident population is high, standing at 19.8% in 2002. Ethnic diversities: German 65%, French 18%, Italian 10%, Romansh 1%, other 6%.
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Apple store in Switzerland
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