Apple Displaces Microsoft as Biggest Technology Company

[btarunr]

For the first time since 1989, the era of Apple's market dominance over Microsoft is back. Shares of Apple on NASDAQ rose 2.8 percent on Wednesday, taking the company's market value to US $229 billion. As markets closed, Apple and Microsoft were poised at $222 billion and $219 billion. Microsoft stock fell 4 percent on this day. While the 4% may have contributed largely to the turn of events, Apple's emergence as the leading tech firm has been established, which is a watershed from 1998, when an almost broke Apple borrowed $190 million from Microsoft to stay afloat.

As far as revenues go, Microsoft is still leading. The Redmond, Washington based firm reported $14.5 billion revenue last quarter, compared to Cupertino, California based Apple, which reported $13.5 billion in the same period. While PC operating systems and software forms Microsoft's primary source of income, Apple sells a variety of computer hardware such as Macbook, software, and consumer electronics, including the popular Apple iPhone, and iPod.



Source: Reuters, Image Courtesy: intelliot

[DriedFrogPills]

meh its stocks so its not the real dollar value of either company

[pr0n Inspector]

proof that overpriced hardware sells if you slap a nice badge on it.

[v12dock]

Further drives my hate towards apple..

[toyo]

This only proves that in a word of software piracy, a company who sells almost only applications can still be competitive with one who pushes stuff that cannot be pirated, given it's hardware nature. Good job M$... we change our feelings for you since Windows 7

[FordGT90Concept]

Originally Posted by v12dock

Further drives my hate towards apple..

I concur. I feel sorry for all the people Apple robbed.

[Frick]

Originally Posted by FordGT90Concept

I concur. I feel sorry for all the people Apple robbed.

Yes, they were robbed.

Seriously, Apple's products are good. They come with a premium price for a reason.

[Triprift]

maybe MS need to bring out there own phone.

[FordGT90Concept]

Way too much competition there and if they tried the same stuff Apple got away with (completely controlling the market for applications on their product), they'd be taken to court (again) over anti-trust practices. Microsoft doesn't want that kind of attention.

[DaJMasta]

Originally Posted by toyo

This only proves that in a word of software piracy, a company who sells almost only applications can still be competitive with one who pushes stuff that cannot be pirated, given it's hardware nature. Good job M$... we change our feelings for you since Windows 7

Wow really? You're going to blame a slight advantage in the calculated net worth of a company in a single day because of a stock price on piracy? I'm certain it has nothing to do with the extreme popularity of Apple's handheld products, the steady increase in their laptop sales (which can only use their software and hardware essentially) and the trendy image Apple has maintained since the introduction of the iPod? And Microsoft selling 'almost only' applications? That's not even close to true even though they may be best known for several of their applications (which certainly do rake in the money).


Good for Apple. On the fronts which they compete, I don't think apple has the edge that people think they do, but I guess all you need to do is to convince them that your product is superior. Microsoft has quite a tarnished name to overcome and has by no means offered a perfect and polished product at every turn. Who knows, maybe Apple being 'the man' will be a good thing for Microsoft.

[Kitkat]

phones

[1Kurgan1]

Originally Posted by Frick

Yes, they were robbed.

Seriously, Apple's products are good. They come with a premium price for a reason.

Yes, you go out and pay a premium price for an apply laptop for premium hardware... oh wait they use the same hardware as PC's now and use Intel processors. A good example of thievery is, a guy at my college just bought a brand new laptop (PC kind), he got it for $1200 with a quad core i7 (thats some nice hardware if you ask me), compared to the horrible Apple laptops that cost much more than that, I actually think his laptop might be better than all of the iMacs that are offered at a much higher cost, kind of sad.

Your paying for an aluminum casing, and to feel smug, like your better than everyone else in the world. I'm in a graphic design program that is all Macs used, I talk with all Mac users everyday, they talk about how awesome Macs are, how crappy PC's are, but they are clueless when it comes to hardware, and I watch the Macs go down with issues constantly, makes me laugh. I hate Macs before, but graphic design has fueled that fire even more. /rant off

[Triprift]

Originally Posted by FordGT90Concept

Way too much competition there and if they tried the same stuff Apple got away with (completely controlling the market for applications on their product), they'd be taken to court (again) over anti-trust practices. Microsoft doesn't want that kind of attention.

They got there os why not there own phone i actually thought they would by now to compete with Apple. Im sure they would of looked at it.

[FordGT90Concept]

I'm not sure why. I suspect it is because Microsoft feels like they don't need to compete with Apple in those markets. Apple has a lot of competition already from Motorola, Nokia, and Samsung. I think the only reason why Microsoft released the Zune is because no one except Apple offered (or showed interest in) a portable music player with a hard drive. iTunes was also posing a serious threat to Windows Media Player so they had a reason to break into the market.

[Frick]

Originally Posted by 1Kurgan1

Yes, you go out and pay a premium price for an apply laptop for premium hardware... oh wait they use the same hardware as PC's now and use Intel processors. A good example of thievery is, a guy at my college just bought a brand new laptop (PC kind), he got it for $1200 with a quad core i7 (thats some nice hardware if you ask me), compared to the horrible Apple laptops that cost much more than that, I actually think his laptop might be better than all of the iMacs that are offered at a much higher cost, kind of sad.

Your paying for an aluminum casing, and to feel smug, like your better than everyone else in the world. I'm in a graphic design program that is all Macs used, I talk with all Mac users everyday, they talk about how awesome Macs are, how crappy PC's are, but they are clueless when it comes to hardware, and I watch the Macs go down with issues constantly, makes me laugh. I hate Macs before, but graphic design has fueled that fire even more. /rant off

The hardware is the same, the design is not, and the OS is not the same. I do agree on Mac users are annoying, but you can't really hate Apple for that, can you?

It is a hefty premium, but that is the consumers choice. Hate on the smug people instead.

With that said, I would probably not buy a Mac, ever. The mini's look good and all, but I'm not interested.

[WhiteLotus]

The only thing I like in a Mac is the displays. Love the Monitors.

[Triprift]

I got an Iphone and im not smug.

[1Kurgan1]

Originally Posted by Frick

The hardware is the same, the design is not, and the OS is not the same. I do agree on Mac users are annoying, but you can't really hate Apple for that, can you?

It is a hefty premium, but that is the consumers choice. Hate on the smug people instead.

With that said, I would probably not buy a Mac, ever. The mini's look good and all, but I'm not interested.

Being around Macs I have seen a lot of them go down, and commonly, they don't have magical hardware, I know Mac users like to think so though. I know the OS is different, I personally dislike it, but if someone likes it, I just tell them to buy a PC and put OS X onto it. they will save a lot and get much better performance.

I do dislike Mac users, and the reason I dislike Apple is because they are trying to sell an image and a lifestyle, not a product. They are selling "be different", "don't conform". And some idiots gobble that up and think they are special. I put their smugness on level with Prius owners and Scientologists, both of which are in smaller numbers and not seen publicly displaying how much cooler they are than everyone else is, nearly as often.

Originally Posted by Triprift

I got an Iphone and im not smug.

You don't lie to me! The iphone I don't judge much over, the choices are limited in that market and the iphone was the first, it has a nice foothold, but is still a bit expensive. It's mostly computer, or wait, they don't like to be called computer users, they use something thats completely not a computer...

[Frick]

Originally Posted by 1Kurgan1

I do dislike Mac users, and the reason I dislike Apple is because they are trying to sell an image and a lifestyle, not a product. They are selling "be different", "don't conform". And some idiots gobble that up and think they are special.

That's modern marketing for ya. There are no products nowadays, only lifestyles. You go Linux as a philosophical statement, you listen to indie trip-hop because you're different and you drink Budweiser because you're ironic. Consuming has gotten serious.

[roast]

Originally Posted by Frick

Yes, they were robbed.

Seriously, Apple's products are good. They come with a premium price for a reason.

A lot of PC's are premium products, and also come with a premium price. BUUUT, that premium price has always been lower (and fairer) on average to the price of any "premium" apple product.


Also, People call the iphone a premium product. Its not. Its overpriced. People who call it premium are just trying to justify the huge cost they paid. Basic functions are missing from the iphone, which are included in almost every "low-end" handset released over the past 10 years.
The iPad? Thats a foolish product, designed specifically for fools who will go and buy it purely because it has a rotten apple stamped on the back of it.

I'm not necessarily a fanboy of either Mac or PC's. I'll use either given the chance. But I prefer PC's.
Why? Because I find less expensive hardware a lot more appealing than some JOKE of a premium product.

/mindless rant.

[gnesterenko]

but noone has said yet. These companies are not comperable.

Microsoft is a technology driver and "occasionally" even an innovator (I DO count aquisition and incorporation of new tech from start up companies - after all, sure they may have come up with a novel idea, but MS can put their $$$ behind it and bring it to market). Their products drive productivity in every sector of the market, and the desktop world that we like to pretend is the most important, is just a miniscule portion of their reach. The Windows/Office suite (or monopoly, according to some - moot point) drives business and collaboration world wide.

Apples makes stream-lined, fancy internet-enabled appliances for Joe Plumber that cost far more then they probably should.

Can we please stop comparing Apples and Oranges? Apple is a lot more comperable to say, General Electric then it is to MS.


"The views expressed here are mine and do not reflect the official opinion of my employer or the organization through which the Internet was accessed."

[Mussels]

bbl, time to kill myself.

[buggalugs]

Apple if for people that dont know anything about computers.

[roast]

Originally Posted by Mussels

bbl, time to kill myself.

Right behind you.

[TRIPTEX_CAN]

Originally Posted by buggalugs

Apple if for people that dont know anything about computers.

/thread

I avoid apple products for the same reason I avoid skinny jeans, starbucks, and fixed gear bikes.