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The Ternus Era: Apple’s Branded House Meets Tiered Prices and Differentiated Promotion

 John Ternus assumed the role of Apple CEO on September 1, 2026, inheriting a company valued at over $4 trillion with more than 2.5 billion active devices but facing stalled product innovation and an AI gap. This article examines the management perspective on Apple's brand architecture, price strategies, and promotion strategies under Ternus's leadership. While Apple is traditionally classified as a "branded house" that leverages a single master brand across all product lines, recent strategic shifts—particularly the introduction of the iPhone Duo, the expansion of entry-level products like the MacBook Neo, and a more granular pricing structure—suggest a nuanced evolution toward a tiered portfolio strategy. Through a review of recent product launches, pricing decisions, and promotional campaigns, this article argues that Ternus is steering Apple toward a hybrid architecture that preserves the branded house's equity advantages while adopting house-of-brands-like fl...

[Research Article] Apple Duo house of brands challenges and comparisons with Samsung Galaxy Fold

  This research article examines the brand management strategies of Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics in the emerging foldable smartphone category, with particular focus on Apple's forthcoming "iPhone Duo" and Samsung's established Galaxy Fold/Z Fold line. Through the lens of brand architecture theory, the study analyses how Apple's Branded House structure and Samsung's distinct Galaxy sub-brand architecture shape their respective approaches to foldable technology. The article traces the historical evolution of both companies' brand strategies, evaluates Samsung's decade-long brand-building success in foldables, identifies the strategic challenges facing Apple's Duo positioning, and projects the competitive brand dynamics through 2026 and beyond. The analysis reveals a fundamental tension: Samsung has invested seven years in educating the market and establishing category ownership, while Apple enters with a strategy that reframes the foldable not ...