The top-level domain (TLD) “.apple” is a Brand TLD. A Brand TLD is a domain name that symbolizes a trademark or brand. It creates a clean, clear, 100% controlled digital environment for a trademark. Brand TLDs have been made possible by ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), the world’s principal authority for domain names. Business owners can now apply for a specific TLD that reflects their brand name, such as “.apple” in this case.
“Apple” TLDis essentially a custom domain space owned and managed by the Apple Inc. The corporation can potentially use this space to ensure brand authenticity, improve brand exposure, facilitate digital marketing, and safeguard consumers from counterfeited, unauthorized, or misleading entities leveraging the Apple brand name. It must be noted here that not every trademark or brand can have their own TLD. ICANN has a specific process for the application and management of such TLDs. The delegation records for “.apple” can be found in the IANA (Internet Assigned Numbers Authority) Root Zone Database (source: IANA).
Examples of usage could be iPhone.apple, iPad.apple, or any other product-focused domain names that Apple Inc. might desire. However, as of now, Apple Inc. doesn’t seem to use these. The official website of Apple Inc. is still “www.apple.com”.
Moreover, Domain Incite, a well-known domain name industry news blog, reported in September 2015 that Apple Inc., similar to many other companies, isn’t actively using its brand TLD. It only has one registered domain (nic.apple), which does not redirect to any Apple product page but hosts a simple placeholder page instead.
The primary sources used to construct this answer are ICANN and IANA official websites, as well as a Domain Incite article that discusses Apple Inc.‘s usage of its brand TLD.
In conclusion, TLD “.apple” signifies a brand-controlled cyberspace owned by Apple Inc. Although the prospects of using this TLD are wide-ranging for branding and digital marketing purposes, no substantial efforts have been made by Apple Inc. to utilize their TLD in this regard.
Sources:
1. ICANN – What is a TLD?
http://learn.icann.org/articles/glossary/
1. IANA Root Zone Database – .apple
https://data.iana.org/TLD/tlds-alpha-by-domain.txt
1. Domain Incite – Why are you doing that whois search? ICANN 61 Diary
http://domainincite.com/22720-icann-61-diary-day-3 +
