Apple Dethrones Microsoft As World's Biggest Tech Company

[onehandle]

Source: AP, Huffington Post

SEATTLE — Apple has surpassed Microsoft as the largest technology company in the world by market capitalization.

Apple's move comes as the company's iPhone, and now its iPad tablet computer, have taken on more of the personal computing tasks once handled by computers running Microsoft's Windows operating system and other programs.

Market cap is the dollar value of a company's outstanding shares. On Wednesday, Apple Inc.'s shares slipped $1.11 to close at $244.11, making its market cap about $222 billion. But Microsoft Corp.'s stock fell $1.06, or 4.1 percent, to close at $25.01, for market cap of about $219 billion.

The only U.S. business with a higher market value is Exxon Mobil Corp. The oil company's market cap is about $279 billion, based on Wednesday's closing price of $59.31.

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/26/apple-market-cap-surpasse_n_590854.html

[Yavin4]

1. I Don't See Apple As A PureTech Company

I see Apple as taking over from SONY as a consumer electronics giant. Sure, they are selling tech, but their bread and butter are consumer electronics.

[onehandle]

3. That completely discounts their thousands and thousands of techology and software patents.

Even Bill Gates would disagree with that.

Especially, Bill Gates.

[muriel_volestrangler]

4. What's the distinction?

If Apple isn't a 'technology' company, then Microsoft surely isn't. If you think that Apple isn't producing new technology, but just packaging it for consumers, then a 'technology' company would have to be something like Intel doing fundamental research.

[Yavin4]

11. Enterprise, Scalable Usage

Hardware and software that enterprises use. Not just use by primarily individuals.

[muriel_volestrangler]

15. I don't think size of user promotes Microsoft to 'technology'

You might say Microsoft could be in 'commercial services', perhaps. But I don't see that whether something counts as 'technology' depends on who it's sold to.

[Yavin4]

17. It's Not Who It's Sold To, Rather What It's Used for and How It's Used

And it's not just MS, it's also Oracle, Sun, Google, and Intel, etc. Apple does not have a counter product to something like Sharepoint or PeopleSoft.

If your top products are phones and music players, then you're primarily a consumer electronics company like SONY, Hitachi, Panasonic.

[muriel_volestrangler]

18. Yeah, it's not like Apple popularised fundamental parts of computing or anything

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/technology

[Yavin4]

20. I've Never Said That They Weren't A Tech Company At One Point In Time

Today, they're a consumer electronics corporation, not a tech company.

[heliarc]

21. Nonsense...

Apple has several software offerings that Microsoft doesn't have an equal to as well...

Aperture, Final Cut Pro, to name the two most important.

Apple has always been the platform of choice for creative professional audio and video applications. Third parties have developed software for the Mac from the beginning.

Digidesign, Avid, MOTU, Opcode, and others...

excluding apple from definition as a tech company exposes a clear bias... These aren't just consumer electronics... they are professional design platforms that have set standards for the tech industry.

[Yavin4]

22. Because They Have A Niche In the Design World

that still does not make them a tech company. Their primary products and service offerings are targeted towards individual use, not enterprise use. Intel, Sun, Oracle, Microsoft, IBM, Dell, etc. their primary products and services are targeted towards enterprise usage, not just individual usage or just a niche market usage.

[still_one]

2. Perhaps market cap, but there is far mor Microsoft software out there then Apple

In fact, Microsoft writes software for Apple platforms

In addition, Apple is going through a major growth phase which Microsoft has been through

As far a development environments, Microsoft is light years ahead of Apple, but that is another topic

[customerserviceguy]

5. This is mainly because MS has plummeted like a stone

in the last month or so. Glad I unloaded my tiny holding over a week ago, before the dribble turned into a gusher.

[HopeHoops]

6. Hmm. I wonder if Bill Gates is smelling a little DEC in his future.

Remember when DEC was the king and Compaq was the little kid on the block? Compaq eventually bought DEC and incorporated some cool technology into their machines like flip-out drive cages and latched expansion cards (think VAX). And gee, Compaq got swallowed by HP, which got the best of both worlds and currently makes the best server-class systems out there.

[awoke_in_2003]

13. "think VAX"

I have no choice- we still have one flight simulator running VAX 11/780 and another run running a Mini-VAX. I cannot wait to get rid of that 11/780- once a year it seems to go down hard, and we have to bring in one of the few experts on them (he lives in New Zealand).

[HopeHoops]

16. Yeah, those were a bitch. The mini isn't bad. Runs hot though.

We had to put in a pretty major A/C system for two fucking minis. Of course, back then a "mini" was the size of a beer cooler. Now it means a 10" netbook or a Mac that can get lost in the clutter on the desk (I know. I have one).

[jgraz]

7. I haven't worked for Apple for years, and I sold all my stock long ago.

But this still makes me pretty damned happy. :party:

[htuttle]

8. "Beleaguered Apple" now world's largest tech company

Just remembering the press treatment they used to get...

[Earth_First]

9. However, on sheer marketing genius. NOT on superior software or product.

$599 on a tablet designed for wifi that does not support flash?

No thanks.

Ibranded.

[KamaAina]

24. Are you insinuating that Microsoft has superior software or product?

:shrug:

[tinrobot]

10. So now, it's OK to hate them, right?

[awoke_in_2003]

14. I always hated the Microsoft/Apple comparisons...

you cannot compare them. Microsoft writes software to run on a shitpot of different hardware. Apple is a company that writes software to sell hardware. But as long as Apple has just enough market share to remain viable, I will be happy. Get too big and you start becoming a target for hackers.

[REP]

19. With some people, it's always been okay!

1990s: "They're still making those toy computers? I thought they went out of business. They'll be gone soon."

2010: "Apple raped my father and killed my mother! They've always been evil! I've been saying it for years!"

[KillCapitalism]

23. Or...

Microsoft = Tragically unhip & Republican

Apple = So hip & Democratic

[Canuckistanian]

12. Meet the new boss

Same as the old boss.

[cbdo2007]

25. Microsoft is still bigger in Revenue, Profit, Employees, etc....