Seattle, which has long been known as the city dominated by Microsoft, now welcomes a new tech company to town: Apple.

Apple, the tech empire originally from Cupertino, Calif. is opening its engineering doors and establishing an office here in Seattle.

An article published by the Seattle Times last Monday gave the details behind Apple’s move and the benefits that could arise from it.

Many of the employees, according to the article, are from the Union Bay Networks, a startup in Fremont. Engineers of this caliber originally attracted Apple because of their experience with “building online infrastructure,” according to the Seattle Times article. It is hoped that Apple’s presence will bring economic growth to the city and region.

Apple’s arrival prompted varying reactions from Seattle University’s business students. Maddie Lynch, a sophomore business major, sees this move as beneficial for Seattle. Having grown up with Apple products all her life, Lynch added that having a base in Seattle is a strong move for the company.

Freshman business major Ashley Castaneda agreed.

“It’s not a good idea to have a certain brand monopolizing a certain area, because it condenses a lot of the potential it could have,” Castaneda said. “When you’re thinking about branding, you’re thinking of Microsoft. It is very Seattle, versus Apple being more California-oriented.”

Castaneda also noted that new competitors in the market can help create competitive advantages, and Apple’s presence should not be that much of an issue, especially if it opens up new employment options.

“If you can open up new jobs, why not[do it]?” Castaneda said.
Zac Siriboon, a senior business major, shed some light on the effect this move may have for Microsoft.

“It’s not going to affect Microsoft all that much. Microsoft is still the big tech company in this area,” said Siriboon. He added that Apple’s appearance will not throw Microsoft off its game;

rather, that the company will only see Apple as another corporate office, which, Siriboon joked, will be good for tax purposes.

Siriboon said that he would like to see more of a development of the middle market in Seattle. He used the term lopsided to help convey the unbalanced environment in which tech companies exist here.

“There are a lot of massive public tech companies and a lot of small startups,” Siriboon said. “Most of the other major markets in the country are more evenly disputed between small, medium and large.”

Whether these student thoughts and opinions will change over time is unclear, but as more information is revealed the unraveling of Apple’s presence in Microsoft territory makes this story one worth following.

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