Reputation of what? They are just an office appliance company.

You're confusing your opinion of the company with the perception by the general public. Apple's definitely not perceived as 'an office appliance company' by your average person. It's considered a high-end luxury brand by many[1].

1: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/361238549_Consumer_...

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robotresearcher 9 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

I think their public sales data shows Apple sells mainly to consumers, and mainly iPhones at that.

Like 1980s SONY, they are the top of the line consumer electronics giant of the time. The iPhone is even more successful than the Walkman or Trinitron TVs.

They also sell the most popular laptops,to consumers as well as corporate. Like SONY’s VAIO but more popular again.

	▲	robotresearcher 7 hours ago \| parent [-]
		The move in consumer electronics leadership from Japan to the US, Korea, and now China is probably pretty interesting to understand. Can anyone recommend a good book or article about this?