Introduction
The report covers element of quality management in products. It uses Apple’s iPad to highlight various issues, particularly in product quality features and communication to customers.
Quality management is an important element for an organization. It ensures that all products and services are consistent with the established standards.
In quality management, organizations must ensure planning, control, assurance and improvement of product or service. Organizations must focus on quality management, how to achieve it in product or service features and communicate it to customers. Therefore, quality assurance and control processes should provide consistent products or services to customers.
Companies depend on customers for revenues. Therefore, they must understand different needs of customers. In this regard, products or services should meet the present and future needs of customers and even exceed their expectations.
Companies must develop quality products and communicate quality features to customers so that they can make informed decisions before purchasing a product. In this regard, customers should get adequate information about a product or service.
How the supplier communicates the quality of the product
Apple communicates iPad information to its customers. The company uses various means to reach customers. These include the traditional media and online platforms. In this report, information used is available at the company’s Web site.
Apple has provided relevant information that many customers may use to gauge the quality of iPad. Information available covers iPad’s capacity and price; display; dimensions and weight; chip; cameras; video recording; product carriers; cellular and wireless; sim card; connector; battery life; and intelligent assistant.
Figure 1: iPad
Information provided contains technical data about the product quality features, as well as basic information regarding service carriers, which many customers need to know. Apple Inc has arranged all its models of iPad alongside their quality specifications so that consumers can review and make purchase decisions.
By providing product quality features, consumers can recognize performance and efficiency attributes of iPad. As a result, they will be able to make the right decision on their purchase. From the information available on Apple’s Web site, one can conclude that the company has provided enough details about its products to allow customers to make purchase decisions.
Apart from the information communicated through the company’s Web site, there is also product review information. Such reviews provide product quality to customers. For example, many product review Web sites have touted Apple Inc as an innovative company. In addition, they note that the company’s communication strategy is a well-calculated move to deliver strong products to customers and create loyalty.
Web sites that have reviewed iPad and other Apple products have noted that the company provides products that deliver customers’ expectation because of extensive research, innovation and strong design. It involves meticulous planning processes to appeal to a large number of customers and improve product rating. The company communicates features that customers find easy to use and robust.
At the same time, there is uniformity in product quality i.e., the products have similar major features and design. Customers who have purchased Apple iPads understand consistency in product development and know what features they are likely to get from a new product. In addition, they understand that it will be simple to adapt and use robust features of the new product.
While the company has managed to maintain consistency in product quality, the new product portfolios are highly innovative. iPad has several quality features that allow consumers to utilize the product to meet various functions. Moreover, the product can be adapted to suit various situations and functions due to its portability.
Moreover, the company communicates its product quality through aesthetic designs. The designs are sleek and attractive with various colors. As a result, they appeal to consumers of all ages.
A rating scale for the quality of iPad and its comparison with Samsung Galaxy Tab
The rating scale for iPad has been based on the Likert Scale. This is the most common scale for rating electronic products. There are number of Likert items or questions to guide consumers when rating the quality of the product. The choice reflects the respondent’s feelings on a given product quality (Burns & Burns, 2008). Users can choose positive, neutral or negative product rating on the scale to reflect their levels of satisfaction.
- [ ] Excellent
- [ ] Very Good
- [ ] Good
- [ ] Average
- [ ] Poor
For example, consumers can use the following quality features to rate the devices.
- Capacity and price
- Display
- Dimensions and weight
- Chip
- Cameras
- Video recording
- Product carriers
- Cellular and wireless
- Sim card
- Connector
- Battery life
- Intelligent assistant
These quality features for iPad rating are based on the company’s communicated features, which are available to consumers who wish to make purchase decisions.
The table below shows a typical product comparison of iPad 2 and Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1
Apple iPad 2 vs. Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1: Specifications
Figure 2: The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1
Figure 3: The iPad 2
The Findings and Discussion
Design
iPad 2 has a sleek design. It is faster and lighter relative to the previous versions. The black and white colors appeal to many consumers. iPad has a curved back to make it easier to hold. The product design allows it to rotate fast.
The Galaxy Tab 10.1 is thinner than iPad 2 and weighs less. The lightweight design makes the device “comfortable to hold and use”. However, the Samsung device is made mainly of plastic while iPad is made of high quality aluminum that enhances its sleek design.
Display
Generally, iPad has a clear display with “bright and crisp presentation that brings contents to life”. The Galaxy Tab has slightly larger screen compared to iPad. Both gadgets rely on advanced touch screen technologies. Nevertheless, these gadgets cannot resist strong sunlight and strong glares from lights, which affect their general outputs.
Software and performance
The latest iPad software is superior to the Galaxy Tab operating system. iPad provides the familiar tap and swipe touch screen that many users prefer. Moreover, Apple has managed to remain consistent in product quality as it introduces innovative new features.
Moreover, the iPad has several apps alongside multimedia capabilities. It has an option of cellular and Wi-Fi, which customers can specify when making their orders. This is flexibility which many tablet manufacturers do not provide. iPad is easy to hold and use.
iPad offers streamlined experiences to users, which has made it a favorite among many users. Although iPad 2 may lack customized features for live widgets on the screen, the Galaxy Tab cannot match a superior iPad. Moreover, iPad features and quality specifications are superior to the Galaxy Tab.
Tablets manufacturers do not release their products at the same time. Instead, they study the leader with the aim of identifying weaknesses in both their products and competitors’ products. They then release latest versions with updated operating systems and other features to customers.
Such latest versions tend to be superior to the previous ones. For instance, latest versions of Galaxy Tabs have strived to bring new features to counteract iPads. While the features are not necessarily new, they enhance functionality of the available apps and improve their usability. iPad offers intelligent assistant to users.
Internals and cameras
The Apple iPad 2 has a dual-core that improves the speed of the gadget and ensures that the graphic processing is sufficiently faster. The gadget has both rear and front cameras with high recording capabilities. These cameras also support video chat and are compatible with other Apple smart products.
On the other hand, the Galaxy Tab has both front and rear megapixel cameras. These cameras are for video calls and recording. The Galaxy Tab has high processing speed and a large memory device. The latest version can support Adobe Flash Player and therefore display flash video contents.
Battery life and availability
iPad has a battery life of 10 hours while Samsung Galaxy Tab only provides 9 hours of battery life. iPad 2 is available at “Apple boutique stores and from other authorized resellers”. However, it is generally expensive relative to Samsung Galaxy Tab. The price difference has been a major issue many Apple critics and fanatics alike have expressed.
Apple has always maintained premium prices with marginal reduction compared to new versions. In addition, it has a larger price margin when compared to competitors. All these gadgets are also available with major carriers. It is imperative to note that Apple tends to maintain secrecy in product designs and release dates.
Other features
These gadgets have other features that could differentiate them from competition. These are mainly USB ports, chargers and the overall compatibility of these accessories. In addition, savvy users tend to check the speed at which a cable can charge the gadget. There are also other output features such as connection to external devices like cameras and television sets among others, which consumers consider before buying a device.
These findings reveal that smart technology firms readily provide adequate information on product qualities to allow consumers to make the right decisions. In addition, such information differentiates them from competitors’ products. Overall, there is a massive competition in the industry as all suppliers strive to improve product qualities.
Conclusion
This is a quality management report on popular smart devices. It shows that products’ manufacturers strive to provide adequate information to their customers through various channels. Consumers, therefore, can make informed purchase decisions.
The product rating scale indicates that many users have positive experiences with their devices. At the same time, product suppliers compete to outdo one another in the market. Consequently, there are minimal variations in competing product lines due to constant quality management through product upgrades and release of new versions.
References
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Burns, A. & Burns, R. (2008). Basic Marketing Research (2nd ed.). New Jersey: Pearson Education.
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Rose, K. (2005). Project Quality Management: Why, What and How. Florida: J. Ross Publishing.
Shanklin, W. (2013). Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 vs. iPad. Web.