Top 10 High Tech Companies 2020

Today, technology is one of the most powerful sectors shaping the global economy, driving changes, and setting trends. Technology companies have become a dominant driver in recent years of economic growth, consumer tastes, and the financial markets.

The biggest tech stocks as a group, for example, have dramatically outpaced the broader market in the past decade, that is because technology has reshaped in a major way how people communicate, consume information, shop, socialize and work.

These companies aim at creating software, designs, and manufacturing gadgets like mobile phones, laptops, computers, etc. Usually, the ranking of these digital giants is based on market capitalization as well as their revenue and number of employees.

They understand and recognize the changes that technological advances are bringing to the global marketplace and the opportunities that such changes are creating.

MICROSOFT

It is the most valuable company in the technology sector. The reason behind its success is its market capitalization of more than $1 trillion and one of the most expensive companies. It was founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in 1975.

The headquarters of the company is located in Redmond, Washington, USA.

It offers operating systems for computers, servers, phones, intelligent gadgets, as well as productivity applications, business solution apps, management and development tools, games.

Also, recently, Microsoft has slightly changed their field of interest. The company is now focusing on innovative technologies, such as machine learning, artificial intelligence, and cloud computing, trying to become a leader in the field.

FEATURES

• Security Integration: It offers a unified path for security insights across itself and other ecosystem partners.
• Reports: it provides information about activities and data usage.
• Cloud Printing: it makes printing simple, rich and secure which reduces administrative and management effort for IT.
• Collaborations: it enables the users to share files, folders, assign tasks and interact with other users by online meetings or chats.
• Planning: lets users set up appointments and meetings on the web, mobile and desktop devices as well as mark the important dates on the calendar and fix reminders.
• Identify and Access Management: Creates directory resources and manages access to those resources and access to sign in and account for risk data.

PROS AND CONS

• Accessibility: The major advantage for the users is that it can be operated from anywhere and anytime as soon as the internet connection is available and is compatible with any device. Being a cloud-based system, it saves all the files and documents making it beneficial and easy to access for the users
• Reduces Security Risks: It consists of threat intelligence which allows businesses to understand threats so they can respond more effectively to them and also secures the data with the help of advanced protective features,
• Automatic updates: It consumes less amount of time for updating, rebooting and checking software updates by providing an automatic update system that reduces the burden of the users.
• Team Collaborations: It allows employees to engage with each other on the same project and no duplicate copies will be created because the updates are seen in real-time, you can see who’s made what change at what time.
• There are limitation on the number of emails that can be sent and received in a day
• Data security: Companies that must comply with regulatory constraints and require their data to be stored on-prem. Microsoft offers options for these businesses, but in general, they are more expensive and may not satisfy requirements.
• Less flexibility: It provides less options for customization and the users might need third parties or add on in order to customize.

There have been many companies whose products have changed, and even revolutionized the way in which we live, but it’s hard to find one which has had the global impact of Microsoft.

The landscape created competition and innovation among organizations, many of which had unique needs and market opportunities. However, it introduced a platform in which the core was consistent, but there were variables that introduced technical vulnerabilities that could later be exploited.

Evidently, Microsoft is resilient. It has the financial and intellectual resources to allow them to endure a limited number of failures without forfeiting their relevance or ability to compete, even when the market changes.

APPLE

Recently, it has become the second-largest company in the list of technology companies ruling the world with annual revenue of $260.2 billion which also makes it the world's most profitable digital company. However, the reason for why it came in the second place was Saudi Aramco which broke into the list in 2019. It’s headquarter is located in in Cupertino, California, USA.

The top-tier products of apple have already gained a huge amount of popular support and loyal fan following worldwide. The company was established on April 1, 1976, by Steve Wozniak, Ronald Wayne, and Steve Jobs and soon became a well admired one.

In the beginning, they just started with computers and PC but toppled the industry as soon as they introduced smartphones i.e. iPhones and iPads which led to making it the wealthiest company across the globe. Today, the range of Apple products is wide and includes smartwatches, computers, laptops, tablets, smartphones, and more.

FEATURES

• App Store: It is the best addition in an Apple product which allows you to run all kinds of third-party applications to iPhone or iPod users. App Store makes your iPhone more upgrade and also allows you both paid and free apps.
• Camera: Apple products provide a classy camera in each product with approx. 5-megapixels. The biggest change in the iPhone is the 360 degree angled camera which is the unique idea as well as the most interesting feature and makes your iPhone more innovative.
• Web Browsing: It provides the best source of Web Browsing and offers you realistic products to have a look at Phone. It also has the experience of complete web browsing.
• Email: It can sync to corporate email servers running exchange and has robust email features. It also records all the contacts and necessary data of the device.
• Video Playback: The iPhone has a great availability of video playback by using iTunes Store for the users to have more possible opportunities like buying and selling the content, Built-in YouTube Application, creating your videos, etc.

PROS AND CONS

• The software is unbeatable providing overall flow and responsiveness as well as the way the design is created makes it feel like an experience rather than using a device 
• Even if it does not lead in innovations, it still leads in the quality of its products
• It has both financial as well as intellectual resources to literally perform any task practically.
• It has one of the best and biggest marketing team which knows when and how to make the noise for their products 
• It has been witnessed that apple has only been copying or following the designs of other companies and it does not create anything new of its own. 
• Its products are quite expensive and depend on the average consumer's welfare greatly.
• After the loss of its founder, the company lacks good management and leaders 
• It aims at developing devices that are of no use without the iPhone which provides less flexibility in the selection of the gadgets 

Apple is a big company and it cannot be destroyed. Apple stock may crash into a deep correction, however, the company cannot be "killed" easily. Steve Jobs became synonymous with the brand and as famous as the brand itself.

He expanded the company into new areas, including the music industry, and ultimately helped define the modern mobile category. He had a knack for divining what people would want before they knew they wanted it.

The major success of the company relies on its dynamic, constantly changing business plan. Partnering to manufacture mobile parts for rival companies such as Samsung enhanced the company’s profits and reputation as a supplier of mobile components.

Apple’s core philosophy and formula for success have combined technology with simplicity, simplicity, creativity, and design, and found a successful formula.

AMAZON

Being the company with the highest number of employee in the technology world, Amazon takes up the third world in the world of high technology companies. Amazon was founded by Jeff Bezos and has a sprawling headquarters in Seattle, with more than 40 state-of-the-art buildings in South Lake Union, Denny Triangle and downtown is one of the companies with the most expensive stocks that is the price of one Amazon share is more than $1,800. Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking.

It's major and the most valuable product is its online shopping service while its product lines include several media (books, DVDs, music CDs, videotapes, and software), apparel, baby products, consumer electronics, beauty products, gourmet food, groceries, health and personal-care items, industrial & scientific supplies, kitchen items and watches, lawn and garden items, musical instruments, sporting goods, tools, automotive items and toys & games. It announced the creation of Amazon Prime, a membership offering free two-day shipping within the contiguous United States on all eligible purchases for a flat annual fee of 79 dollars as well as discounted one-day shipping rates in 2005.

FEATURES

• Amazon Prime: This is a big customer acquisition tool for Amazon. Once registered a customer will keep coming back to Amazon. The customer has invested 79 dollars to subscribe to a service. Its goal is to derive the maximum value of the service. This results in more sales for Amazon.
• Frequently Bought Together: This is a feature where people are given product suggestions based on what they are interested in. The quality of suggestions ensures that only relevant product suggestions are made.
• Large product catalog: You can almost get everything on Amazon. (Not everything but one of the largest catalog on the Internet"
• Search - People are not lost in the large catalog of products and are provided with good search results
• Product Reviews by customers: Reviews helps people make decisions. An additional service that Amazon provides and makes it easier for customers to select a product.
• Amazon 1 click ordering: Conversions are crucial in the payment process. 1-click ensures there are no drop-offs there.
• Search Results: Amazon ranks high in Search results for various reasons. It has many inbound links, has quality content, good product description, almost everything about the product

PROS AND CONS

• You can imprint your own decisions and style on the product and brand.
• You get to decide how much to order or produce instead of being beholden to a company’s decisions.
• You don’t have to pay brand name prices, so you can compete with lower prices and win more customers.

Being a worldwide brand, it gives you international reach by giving businesses the chance to expand their offerings into different markets, It can take more upfront investment to create a private label — time and money spent in brand/logo design, building a solid relationship with a supplier/manufacturer, getting the word out about your label, marketing the unique aspects of it, etc.

You’ll have to work harder at establishing a trust for a not-yet-known label especially compared to older, better-known brands.

A lot of product quality is out of your hands and you’ll be relying on your supplier/manufacturer to make good pieces.

Amazon is focused like a laser on customers. Instead of starting with an idea for a product and trying to convince executives that customers will "love the idea," Amazon works from the perspective of the customer to come up with ideas that will legitimately generate value.

Amazon serves billions of people worldwide, so it has the marketing, advertising, and operational processes necessary to serve that many people. Boasting a platform that’s easy to use and is convenient. It basically just aims to help people buy stuff online and have their product shipped to them in a week or less.

It has multiple revenue streams, the infrastructure to support those revenue streams, the publicity necessary to stay in consumers’ minds, and the ability to outcompete just about any company that it comes across. Therefore, it is one of the most essential and successful platform used all over the world. 

ALPHABET.INC

It is a holding company that gives the resources, freedom, and focus to ambitious projects to make their ideas happen. It is headquartered in Mountain View, California and was created through a restructuring of Google on October 2, 2015 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin which became the parent company of Google and several former Google subsidiaries.

Under the new corporate structure, the company runs lesser risk of anti-trust violations and is also better able to account for income streams from various subsidiaries.

Alphabet is divided into two main units: Google and Other Bets. The Google segment includes its main Internet products such as ads, Android, Chrome, hardware, Google Cloud, Google Maps, Google Play, Search, and YouTube. The Other Bets segment consists of businesses such as Access, Calico, CapitalG, GV, Verily, Waymo, and X

FEATURES:

It has its own Task Manager that shows you how much memory and CPU usage each tab and plug-in is using dynamic Tabs. Web applications include Google Docs, Salesforce.com, and Outlook Web Access, United search bar, and address bar

PROS AND CONS

• It helps to attract talent that might not fit into the unique culture of Google, but might fit into another culture
• It helps Google innovate in areas that go beyond its core business
• Its search engine, its business is widely diversified and offers investors a lot more than meets the eye
• Its revenue largely rests on the advertisement which also affects is core business if they are inappropriate or fake
• It faces tough competition from other advertisers like Amazon as people tend to buy more of what they search on other sites rather than google 
• It has also been targeted in many countries due to its security concern 

Alphabet being the parent of google has occupied a large territory and is one of the most successful companies across the globe due to a spike in its share price, following exceptionally good results, and a decision to come clean on how it makes and spends its money.

Alphabet’s products have remained much the same as they always have been. There’s no breakout new hit to thank and no major victory in the legal, political, or commercial realm. It’s just solidly, steadily bringing in billions of dollars a year.

It provides each company within its organization has operations independent of the search engine and came to be known as a “safe place” for innovative companies to carry out experiments separately. Today, more than thirty companies come under the umbrella of it. Hence, it is the most trusted tech companies in the world. 

ALIBABA

Alibaba is one of the largest virtual tradings Chinese platforms which attract the attention of buyers by both affordable prices and a wide range of goods presented. It was founded on 4th April 1999 in Hangzhou, China by Jack Ma, Joseph C. Tsai, Cathy Zhang, and Trudy Dai.

It owns and operates a diverse array of businesses around the world in numerous sectors. Alibaba is the world's largest retailer and e-commerce company.

It is also on the list of the largest Internet companies and artificial intelligence companies, is one of the biggest ventures capital firms, and one of the biggest investment corporations in the world.

CHINA SMART NETWORK

CSN project was launched by Alibaba in collaboration with the four most influential logistics companies in China, with the goal of bringing products to buyers within 24 hours of the purchase. Logistic networks belonging to different logistic companies were integrated to form the single most effective network in terms of parcel turnover for customer delivery.

FEATURES

• It provides easy trackable services 
• Customers can share their purchase, give reviews by uploading a picture or comment
• Every single product that is searched for or viewed is automatically saved by the server
• It also provides live streaming options and vouchers

PROS AND CONS

• Instant access to a countless number of global suppliers who sell just about any product known to man, and you can normally find low 
• It organizes products and categories in a way, so you can find what you want fast pricing
• It allows you to list your products for free
• It uses a familiar layout making the site user- friendly 
• There are many complaints filed again the site for fraud
• You cannot jump to larger purchases due to lack of faith

It is a massive, elaborate, wildly profitable company that dominates online buying and selling in China. Eighty percent of the stuff sold online there goes through an Alibaba site.

It has skyrocketed atop China’s rapidly expanding middle class. Their increased spending and Internet use have created one of the world’s biggest Web-business goldmines, and investors are hungry to jump on IPOs, like Alibaba’s, that have run so parallel to China’s rise. The company has evolved and grown into an e-commerce empire known internationally.

TENCENT:

It was founded in Shenzhen, China, in 1998 by Ma Huateng, Chen Yidan, Zhang Zhidong, Zeng Liqing, daniel and listed on the Main Board of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong since June 2004.

It is a Chinese giant which is also a venture company, a conglomerate, an investment holding and is one of the largest companies in the gaming industry with its "League of Legends," "Arena of Valor," and "Fortnite".Its products include e-commerce platforms, social networks, web portals, payment systems, Internet services, mobile and multiplayer games, smartphones, which are among the most successful in their categories.

PROS AND CONS

• It provides a dynamic work environment which makes it easy to operate 
• It consists of a highly energetic team which responses quite well to the customers
• It is an extremely large organization which lead to slow processing or loading
• It is based on Chinese work culture which could be hectic and makes it hard to get ownership

It recently overtook US rival Facebook to become the world’s most valuable social network company, with a market capitalization of US$540 billion. Yet it is sitting on an advertising goldmine. Just 18% of its total revenue in the 2016 fiscal year came from online advertising.

Tencent started with a distribution platform and built its reach before moving on to monetize its diverse applications. It has meticulously worked towards securing its position as the largest developer and operator of online games for desktop personal computers. It is just beginning to scratch the surface of the potential advertising goldmine.

FACEBOOK

It came to existence in February 2004 and was founded by Mark Zuckerberg. Today, it has a market value of 426 billion dollars. It is one of the fastest-growing businesses and one of the most expensive brands worldwide. It is headquartered in Menlo Park, California.

It also owns a lot of popular and successful applications like Messenger, Instagram, Whatsapp, etc. The company basically focuses on acquisitions for its growth and is visited by more than 2 billion people every day.

FEATURES

• Photos: It allows the users to upload their clips, videos  
• News Feed: it provides the latest information about the user’s friends 
• Like button: it establishes an indirect communication between the one who has posted something and the one who is liking
• Notifications: it allows us to push notification on your device and gives you reminders
• Events: it acknowledges the users with the events happening around them like birthdays
• Timeline: pictures, new friends, and other content is flowing smoothly in a wider, double-barrel river

PROS AND CONS

• It is simple to set up and use
• It helps you to keep in touch with people and things around you
• It lets you share your experiences
• It enables you to promote your business
• It is free for the user
• It has also been a reason for privacy leaks
• Users can easily get addicted to it
• Fake accounts or bullies can use it to harass other people
• It can be Anti-Social
• Frequent Ads can be tiresome & encourage expenditure

Along with the advancement of communication and especially the field of telecommunications, world citizens have experienced a colossal shift in communication habits.

Facebook has the right to claim that it has been a major part of this change by connecting millions of people around the world. Comparing modern technology to the one used some decades ago gives an insight into how drastically communication habits have changed.

For most of human history, the most efficient type of communication was letters. Eventually, letters became e-mails and e-mails became posts, likes, pokes, and chat messages. It has managed to connect people from all around the world and literally gave them the power of communication in the palm of their hands.

SAMSUNG

It is a South-Korean multi-national company founded in 1938 by Lee Byung-Chul. It is headquartered in Suwon, the provincial capital of Gyeonggi-do, Republic of South Korea. It comprises of many small businesses under it has the sixth-largest global brand value in 2017.

Initially, it started with the production of computers and later came up with mobile phones. It is known as the electronic producer even though it represents various industries ie aircraft, life insurance, etc.

The company has three technological divisions: Consumer Electronics, Information Technology & Mobile Communications, and Device Solutions. It is very evident that it gives a great competition to Apple in the mobile market and with its other products like tablets, notes, etc. It manufactures a variety of products including television, air conditioners, refrigerators, etc. 

FEATURES

• Android OS:  Samsung was the first to embrace android OS which has a global reputation for offering millions of applications via Google Play. It also allows the integration of advanced computing technologies and software in mobile phones.
• Reputable manufacturer: It is a mobile phone manufacturer powerhouse and has massive followers. Their designs are some of the best and most efficient in the market.
• Compact design: its phones are quite durable and can serve you for many years if properly maintained. You can find phones that are over half a decade old and still perform optimally.
• The latest technology: Samsung offers the latest features that can achieve all that any mobile phone can currently accomplish. Some include maps and GPS tracking, mobile wallets, high-definition cameras, ergonomic display, and fast web browsing expanded memory and multiple-user interface

PROS AND CONS

• High prices for modern technology. The Galaxy S series is one of the priciest in the market.
• It has a low battery life as compared to other smartphones due to background applications.

There are critics of Samsung who argue that its success is mostly due to copying and then tweaking the innovations of others. There is a good deal of truth in this, especially around the early Galaxy designs.

But Samsung is a global leader in screen technology, TVs, batteries, and chip design. So in terms of innovation, it is doing a lot right. The major advantage is that it is heavily invested in its people, it goes in search of special talent wherever it can find it, but specifically made astute moves into Russia early on. Basically, it aims its innovations towards specific competitors and patents that it wants to overhaul (as Apple did under Jobs) and it has an innovation culture based on extensive training, repeatable methodology, and creative elite formation, backed by the highest levels of management. 

TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY (TSMC)

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company is a circuit manufacturer and the world's largest semiconductor foundry. Its products are used in computer, communication, consumer electronics, automotive, and industrial equipment industries.

It was established in1987 by Moris Chang and came to be known as the first company indulged in the manufacturing of Semiconductors. It has a high number of clients including Advanced Micro Devices, Broadcom Inc., Nvidia, and also Apple. It has subsidiaries in China, Singapore, and The U.S., as well as offices in Europe, India, and Japan. It is headquartered in Hsinchu, Taiwan.

FEATURES

• It provides a portfolio that complements its advanced technology leadership
• Its comprehensive specialty technologies meet specific customer needs and include MEMS, CMOS Image Sensor, Embedded NVM, RF, and Analog, High Voltage, and BCD-Power processes
• It covers a broad range of applications, including mobile devices, automobile electronic systems, medical systems, wearables

PROS AND CONS

• It has a working process with 7 nm
• It produces high-end cell-phone CPUs which are battery life sensitive ability to capitalize on market trends
• Viruses’ outbreak can lead to a delay in shipments

TSMC is about to become the world’s most advanced chipmaker. The global economy is currently a sea of gloom. Several financial institutions have forecast that 2020 will see the worst economic performance in the global financial crisis 10 years ago.

To TSMC’s 40,000-plus workforce, however, the future could not be brighter for a company like TSMC which was initially backed up by the government but now is one of the most successful companies due to its quality and investment. 

AT&T

AT&T was founded in 1983 as a South-western Bell Telephone Company by Alexander Graham Bell. Although the company is US-based, it also offers telecom services in other countries, such as Spain, France, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Hong Kong, Switzerland, etc. It is headquartered in Texas, U.S.

It aims at providing phone-based technology and support solutions that include routing, call transfers to agents, billing, and 911 offerings, AT&T houses many large customers’ data centers, provides cloud services, and supports much interactive voice response (IVR) solutions within the Call Centre Technologies organization.

FEATURES

• It provides the device options you need, numerous plans to choose from and the nation’s strongest LTE signal
• The network IP VPN solution based and provides the features and flexibility that you require today and in the future.
• The high speed dedicated internet access to stay connected to your customers, business partners, and employees. 
• The service includes reliability, scalability, optimal performance and security features that you have come to count on from AT&T.
• It offers a one-stop resource for communication and collaboration, with a sleek, intuitive window, and a rich array of conferencing tools.
• It also detects, deters, and mitigates the damage of cyber-attacks and business interruptions.

PROS AND CONS

• AT&T’s Voice over IP solution will allow your company to be more productive, save money and be prepared for the future
• It also provides strong coverage
• It offers you good selection and a variety of plans 
• Plans are the cheapest 
• It does not provide the most generous allotments 
• It has relatively low data de-prioritization thresholds on unlimited plans

It provides your business support with world-class network and business services that can be accessed from 107 countries with over 1600 MPLS service nodes. And if you have to adapt to change or seize new opportunities, it helps to keep people and processes operating flawlessly with adaptive network connectivity that’s as flexible as you need to be.

The company has over 80 million subscribers across its consumer wireless, pay-TV and broadband operations, and it could bundle the new streaming service with its other offerings. AT&T’s control over the content and distribution could also play to its advantage. In today’s time, it has become a new kind of media giant. 

Writer: Anisha Kapoor

Editor: Sonal Kamble