[quote]
By Edward Krudy
NEW YORK | Mon Aug 20, 2012 3:13pm EDT
[url=http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/20/us-apple-valuation-market-record-idUSBRE87J0KM20120820](Reuters)[/url] - Apple Inc became the most valuable public company of all time on Monday, after its market value climbed [B]beyond $620 billion to surpass a milestone set by Microsoft Corp more than a decade ago.
[/B]
Its shares were up 2.3 percent at $662.73 in afternoon trade, after having gained more than 8 percent this month as Wall Street bets on the September 12 rollout of the latest version of the iPhone, the device that revolutionized the mobile industry.
Apple shares reached a high of $664.74 in the morning, giving them a value of $623.14 billion. They edged past the record of $620.58 billion set by Microsoft in 1999 at the height of the tech bubble, according to data provided by S&P Dow Jones Indices. The data, however, did not take into account the impact of inflation.
Apple's climb came at the same time fellow technology heavyweight Facebook Inc plumbed new depths. The No. 1 social network slid to a record intraday low of $18.75 in the morning before bouncing back to trade around $20 after Capstone upgraded the company's stock to buy from hold on Monday.
Apple's stock usually rallies in the runup to major product launches, among the most heavily watched events on the annual tech calendar. The iPhone is the company's biggest product, yielding half or more of its sales.
Sources have said the company will take the wraps off a larger version of its iPhone on September 12. Some analysts also think it intends to announce a smaller version of its iPad, to safeguard its market share, as rivals from Google Inc to Amazon.com Inc begin selling cheaper, seven-inch tablets.
But Bernstein Research's Toni Sacconaghi warned that questions remained about the availability of components for both the iPhone and the iPad, which in the past has constrained Apple's product shipments.
"A key question for the launch will be Apple's expected rollout schedule," the analyst wrote on Monday. "Apple's intention is to continue to ramp offerings as quickly as possible, but the company's ability to do so remains a key near-term question."
POLAR OPPOSITES
Apple became the biggest public company in the world when it overtook Exxon Mobil to reach the No. 1 spot last year. Monday's move means it has now entered the record books as the biggest company ever.
At Monday's close, its shares need to settle at $657.50 for the record to be set on a closing basis as well, according to S&P Dow Jones indices. The shares traded at $662.73 at 3 p.m. EDT.
"Everyone loves a winner; if you play the quick trade be careful," said Howard Silverblatt, senior index analyst at S&P Dow Jones Indices in emailed comments. "If you are an investor, check the fundamentals and business plans, and avoid the hype in your decision."
Facebook's stock has gone the opposite direction in the past month, the butt of concerns about the company's ability to make revenue grow. Last week, some early investors were given the go-ahead to sell for the first time since Facebook's May 18 IPO. Several similar "lockups" will expire through to the end of the year.
It was back up above $20 in afternoon trade after Capstone's upgrade, based on a combination of a more attractive valuation since its decline, and good long-term advertising prospects.
"It seems to be down around levels that people who didn't like the deal thought it was really worth. And now it seems to have stabilized," said Eric Kuby, chief investment officer, North Star Investment Management Corp in Chicago.
It may have "found a level which seems more of a better price for people valuing the company in terms of the future."
(Reporting by Edward Krudy; Editing by Kenneth Barry and Steve Orlofsky)[/quote]
Welp, shit.
Yeah, if you stamp out all competition and form a monopoly your stock is going to increase in value. Who would have thunk?
cool. congratulations to them.
Yet its actual importance to humanity has waned since its early days.
[QUOTE=draugur;37330091]Yeah, if you stamp out all competition and form a monopoly your stock is going to increase in value. Who would have thunk?[/QUOTE]
They didn't stamp out the competition and they've only briefly had a monopoly. Most of their very early competitors died out (Remember when Microsoft had a super-thin laptop? No?) and they reigned dominant for a very good reason: They had unique and well made products. It's only in the last 5-8 years that they've lost their drive and resort to suing everybody they see.
[QUOTE=Swilly;37330117]Yet its actual importance to humanity has waned since its early days.[/QUOTE]
That's a silly thing to say.
This is sorta expected after the new management started looking for ways to jettison their cash horde in favor of increasing the overall worth of the company (hence the dividend offering).
They do know how to make an appealing product I'll give them that much.
If only it was Google, tho.
My school bought every student iPads instead of using books. Its kinda nice but silly at the same time.
[QUOTE=MrEndangered;37330133]They didn't stamp out the competition and they've only briefly had a monopoly. Most of their very early competitors died out (Remember when Microsoft had a super-thin laptop? No?) and they reigned dominant for a very good reason: They had unique and well made products. It's only in the last 5-8 years that they've lost their drive and resort to suing everybody they see.[/QUOTE]
They kinda have a monopoly in terms of music sales. Sure, there are a ton of other alternatives, but the main service for electronic music purchasing is itunes.
[QUOTE=abananapeel;37330254]My school bought every student iPads instead of using books. Its kinda nice but silly at the same time.[/QUOTE]
wow what a waste of money
[editline]20th August 2012[/editline]
[QUOTE=MrEndangered;37330133]They didn't stamp out the competition and they've only briefly had a monopoly. Most of their very early competitors died out (Remember when Microsoft had a super-thin laptop? No?) and they reigned dominant for a very good reason: They had unique and well made products. It's only in the last 5-8 years that they've lost their drive and resort to suing everybody they see.[/QUOTE]
eh, it's only in the last 8 years they've become popular. who the fuck used a mac in the 90's
[QUOTE=abananapeel;37330254]My school bought every student iPads instead of using books. Its kinda nice but silly at the same time.[/QUOTE]
Am I the only one who thinks actually having a book is much better than reading it on a PC/iPad? Not only is better on the eyes, but it's much easier to flip pages etc.
lol they didn't take in account for inflation... the record is really $804 Billion
Being "most valuable" doesn't necessarily mean you're better than anyone else, often it just means you employ more dirty tricks and exploit cheap labour. Sure in terms of economics alone they might be valuable but in terms of other things, especially those not measured by numbers such as ethics, they are not.
Ehh, try adjusting for inflation. Still $230 billion to go.
[QUOTE=JustExtreme;37330652]Being "most valuable" doesn't necessarily mean you're better than anyone else, often it just means you employ more dirty tricks and exploit cheap labour. Sure in terms of economics alone they might be valuable but in terms of other things, especially those not measured by numbers such as ethics, they are not.[/QUOTE]
They're a corporation. Their entire existence is measured by numbers and in terms of economics.
[QUOTE=joe588;37330404]wow what a waste of money
[/QUOTE]
Not too bad if you consider how expensive textbooks are.
[QUOTE=Swilly;37330117]Yet its actual importance to humanity has waned since its early days.[/QUOTE]
That's a dumb thing to say, Apple was extremely important to computers in the early days.
[QUOTE=Wootman;37330819]That's a dumb thing to say, Apple was extremely important to computers in the early days.[/QUOTE]
Do you even read the posts you reply to?
[QUOTE=Mingebox;37330816]Not too bad if you consider how expensive textbooks are.[/QUOTE]
Reading a novel or a textbook off an iPad is a pain in the ass
They could have spent $50/person on chinese e-ink readers but apparently the school has a personal oil well or something
[QUOTE=joe588;37330404]wow what a waste of money
[/QUOTE]
My textbooks cost 800 euro's a year. Thats almost a thousand dollars.
each year.
Imagine how much I would save if I could get cheaper versions of them on an ipad?
[QUOTE=latin_geek;37331204]Reading a novel or a textbook off an iPad is a pain in the ass
They could have spent $50/person on chinese e-ink readers but apparently the school has a personal oil well or something[/QUOTE]
Maybe buying them in bulk cuts down on the cost enough to justify it. Either that or the people making the decision didn't do much research.
Hell, if you're going to get your students a tablet purely for the purpose of reading a textbook and perhaps doing some basic document work, why not buy them an Android tablet (Kindle Fire, Google Nexus, Asus Transformer, etc)? It would definitely be cheaper, and it would do the job fine.
[QUOTE=Awesomecaek;37330154]That's a silly thing to say.[/QUOTE]
It has, I'll admit that the iPod was step forward as well as the iPhone.
But as of today? No, they're not doing anything new.
[editline]20th August 2012[/editline]
[QUOTE=Wootman;37330819]That's a dumb thing to say, Apple was extremely important to computers in the early days.[/QUOTE]
Dude, I was saying they were very important during the early days.
Most valuable =/= most important. All of the Apple products in the world could disappear tomorrow and everyone would be fine.
They could invade some country.
[QUOTE=elfbarf;37331832]Most valuable =/= most important. All of the Apple products in the world could disappear tomorrow and everyone would be fine.[/QUOTE]
well actually if every single apple product disappeared tomorrow a lot of companies and people would be fucked
also as stated above you're right it doesnt make them more important but it still makes them RICH AS FUCK aka the goal of a company
Must bring in a shitload of taxes to the US govt- oh wait
[QUOTE=GoDong-DK;37330675]Ehh, try adjusting for inflation. Still $230 billion to go.[/QUOTE]
So who is then? people people always say this but never state why.
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