Apple Now Worth More than Google and Microsoft Combined

All this and yet they've offered not even 10% of what MS and Google have. Makes me sad.

Apple have contributed hardly anything to the I.T world compared to google and microsoft. It's sad to see that they are worth so much. Remember, Microsoft do more than windows & xbox...

Practically all ATMs, Billboards and CCTV systems in the UK for example, not to mention their ever-growing use in the server and hosting industry.

I can only imagine this figure comes from Apple's painfully aggressive marketing and almost-illegal factories.

Exactly

Don't forget that microsoft throw millions every year into security research that benefits everyone(Not just windows, but linux too).

They also released their drivers to the Linux community.

Google are doing a ton of research in heaps of areas. Take their car for example

Apple on the otherhand have boosted the amount of work lawyers have to do. That'd be about it

People do not learn - the whole stock market system is based on perception of worth rather than actual value - hence the current situation, when the creditors come calling and people actually need to make the money appear, companies go under.

Apple don't own their own factories or production facilities (by and large) so if they have a tough few years or fall out of favour / fashion, they are totally screwed, unlike for example foxconn who can just find something else to build in their factories....

It's ironic how in 1984, Apple declared to the world that they wanted to create a world opposite of the dystopian society portrayed in "Nineteen Eighty-Four" through their Superbowl ad. Now, that's exactly the kind of society that their products are helping to create.

as anyone who has shares in the current climate knows, or has watched "share save" schemes pop up at stuggling companies, shares are worth nothing untill they are money in the bank.
however, it does seem if you want to make cash off the back of the thoughtless masses buying into the hype, buy apple shares....

I suppose Apple has done well to make a "fully functioning" product such as its ipods and iphones. Many media players which once lacked the features and functionality of the ipods are now in the same league however with the smartphones its a different story.

The only other smartphone OS competing against iOS is Android but it is only Ice Cream Sandwich from an average users standpoint that actually offers anything. Ive had my Samsung Galaxy S since Nov 2010 and as an out-of-the-box product i can say it sucked, mostly due to the horrendous OS, poor GPS, audio quality was that of AM radio and average build quality. Sure some of the features were great and unique only to android but it was buggy, slow, ugly etc. People expect a well polished product first time, you wouldnt accept any less when purchasing any other product woud you?

This is where Apple has an advantage because their product simply works! Sure there are a few faults as is the case with many devices but small in comparison to the majority. There are far too many android handsets, companies saturating the market with smartphones, yet they can barely offer a decent service for one device. For those who are technically informed, one of the benefits of android is customisation but this wont fair too well with the average user. Currently i have CM9 ICS 4.0.3 on my galaxy s and it is a much needed improvement. Sadly not many android devices have this OS off the shelf and there is still the issue of android fragmentation where as iphones have a unified update procedure.

Im not an Apple fan, far from it, but i can understand why the average user turns to Apple products.

You do know that Apple stole their ipod OS from Creative and had to pay millions to keep it. Literally all of the features the original ipod offered were already offered by other makes.

Don't believe the adverts when they say Apple have something new - I'm yet to see something truly new from them yet.