Core product

Core products or flagship products are a company's products which are most directly related to their core competencies. These products are then integrated into a variety of end products, either by the company holding the core product or by a second company to which the core product is sold to, and the end products are sold to users. In other words a core product is the main product which is made by the company for the customer.

Core products are central to the company's performance and make the most money that sustain the business. Core products are also usually the first products that the company created and sustained itself from its founding like the Windows Operating system for Microsoft, The Macintosh computer for Apple, Inc., the Google Search platform for Google, etc. Therefore there is emphasis placed on the profitability of core products while working on other products hoping that they will become a competency for the company. The products that make the most profit are usually the core products. Other products that are not considered core products are called side projects, side products and experimental products.

The terminology of a core product may also be used in contrast with the terminology of a whole product, for example:

• Microsoft - Windows and Office.
• NBA - Los Angeles Lakers & Boston Celtics
• MLB - New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers
• NFL - Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers, Dallas Cowboys
• NHL - Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadians, New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs
• WWE - John Cena
• Google Inc. - Google Search, Android
• Apple Inc. - Macintosh, iPhone