I don't have access to their distribution models but these are what I know.
Gateway
- maker of personal computers
- has own retail stores. Opened its first retail store in 1996
- expanded into making televisions, cameras and other consumer electronics.
- closed out 188 retail stores and layed off 2500 workers in 2004
Apple
- launched iPod in 2001 , net loss of $25 million
- launched iPhone in 2007, net profit of $3.5 billion
- launched iPad in 2010, net profit of $14 billion
The difference between Gateway and Apple is that Gateway focused on manufacturing different products - pc, tv, cameras, etc while Apple focused on only 3 types of products iPod, iPhone, iPad.
Unlike Gateway, Apple focused on making their existing products better than the previous version. They are driven to give "the best user experience" to their customers. This drive made them into a household name and continually boosts their sales.
