Apple Sets Record for Company Value at $623 Billion: Is Apple the Greatest Company of All Time?

by Heisenberg Posted 2012/08/20 21:00:00

Related Topics: Apple, Tech, Stocks, Apple Stocks, iPhone, iPad

396 votes
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	Yes	145 votes	37%
	No	251 votes	63%

ASSOCIATE PRESS reports:Apple is Wall Street's all-time MVP -that's Most Valuable Property. On Monday, Apple's surging stock propelled the company's value to $623 billion, the world's highest, ever. It beat the record for market capitalization set by Microsoft Corp. in the heady days of the Internet boom.

+12

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biggerman 2012/08/20 22:25:26 (edited)

No

+11
It is one of the most hypocritical companies of all time. It is a company run by a bunch of liberals but yet those liberals are as guilty of outsourcing jobs and having their equipment made in China as any company out there. They are part of the mythical and infamous 1% that is supposedly hated by all of the Occupy Wall Street types while many of those same people use Apple products to organize and coordinate their protests. (Note; No one ever protested at Apple Headquarters.) Apple makes great products and is very successful but, in my opininon, it has some glaring negatives and certainly has not brought $623 billion worth of benefit to our country.
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ZenerSix 2012/08/21 16:40:48 (edited)

No

Apple's wealth and success doesn't come from it's ability to compete in a free and open market but from expanding it's captive markets, which are powered by slave labor and enforced by the intellectual property czars of government. One company exists where thousands of smaller companies should. That's what their stock price represents and it's the price we continue to pay for monopolism.

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gregaj7 2012/08/21 16:16:57

No

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Phoenix MYK 18 2012/08/21 16:16:32

Yes

Maybe not the best but definitely the most successful

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DestinieMarie 2012/08/21 16:13:04

Yes

They are just the best at planned obsolescence. Hands down.

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Chris to Destini... 2012/08/21 17:43:06

Then why do many other computer manufacturers have much higher failure rates?

All it takes it a minute to research these things.

Fact is though Apple uses the same components many other PC makers use, but Apple is moving into creating their own components.

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Tyler S... to Chris 2012/08/21 22:32:21

+1
My 2006 Black MacBook (well, I sold it to my business partner last year) is still running quite fast and working fine. 6 years old.

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☆WillThompson☆ 2012/08/21 15:43:15

No

+1
By the very question, no.
Does the company know how to perform, yes.
Just because a company is great at product development, marketing, and revenue does not alone make a company great.
Now, if you want to truly know how great a company is you have to weigh in other factors.
How does the company overall treat the all employees (not just upper level ones either)?
How does the company interact with the community it is in (not just pay taxes)?
These are just a few questions that should be asked when one decides their opinion on if a company is great.

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Mikey to ☆WillTh... 2012/08/21 18:21:34 (edited)

+1
Exactly. Let's measure a company's greatness by their impact of the quality of our lives, You can live without the next great iPad. You can't live without food and clean water. the greatest company ever might very well be some little know research entity that cures Alzheimer's

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☆WillTh... to Mikey 2012/08/21 19:34:14

I see what you're saying, however that is not exactly what I meant. Apple can be a great company for what is does within the community or how how it treats the employees, or by simply to help fund the little research company that cures Alzheimer. I was simply stating that a company is not great by merely making the most profit.

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Mikey to ☆WillTh... 2012/08/21 19:35:32

+1
And I agree wholeheartedly

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George Romney 2012/08/21 14:41:15

Yes

+1
Apple should buy out Detroit for pennies on the dollar and create a new country.

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charles nelson 2012/08/21 14:32:25

Yes

finally snob appeal has won.

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Chris to charles... 2012/08/21 21:51:38 (edited)

I don't think it's snobby to appreciate what humanity is capable of creating... they are very admirable. I don't think you necessarily need one to be happy though, but there is no harm in appreciating these things.

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charles... to Chris 2012/08/21 21:57:41

shnob smob,,, don't think mass global manufacturing is that big a deal, well maybe the Model T.

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fuzzy Ken "In G-d We Trust" 2012/08/21 14:10:07

No

While I do give them kudos for design and marketing they STINK at social responsibility.
Apple stores are brightly lit 24/7. Waste of resources and an annoyance to neighbors.
Conditions are so bad at Foxconn, the Chinese company who manufactures Apple that they had to install nets around their fence to prevent workers from committing suicide.
One of the first things that Steve Jobs did when he returned to Apple is close the charitable trust.

I'm a PC & Android guy.

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BIG BAD JOHN R. 2012/08/21 14:07:39

No

nope, no way. If it wasn't for Samsung and there processor chips that Apple buys to the tune of 7.8 billion a year. APPLE PHONES AND COMPUTERS WOULDN'T WORK.

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♥##**AWESOME♥B****##**♥ 2012/08/21 13:54:38

Yes

For me it's Apple And Blackberry

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thє вluє wαndєrєr 2012/08/21 13:41:18 (edited)
Juan Be... to thє вlu... 2012/08/21 16:53:28

IPHONE DUDE IPHONE!!!!!!!!!!!

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thє вlu... to Juan Be... 2012/08/21 17:11:39
Juan Be... to thє вlu... 2012/08/21 17:18:24

Ok dude

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dear•LT13☻ 2012/08/21 13:22:49

No

Creators of "Gadget Narcotics".

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RachelA7X 2012/08/21 11:29:38 (edited)

Yes

Unfortunately yes. They only make loads of money because their products are so expensive. It's terrible. But yes, they are the greatest company. By greatest I don't mean what I think is the best, I mean largest (it's hard to explain).

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Russian 2012/08/21 11:26:16

Yes

+1
I love their computers.

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BlackwinterG36C 2012/08/21 11:06:12

No

+1
Not even close.

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ed 2012/08/21 08:45:37

No

+1
NO

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addie 2012/08/21 08:20:11

No

Greatest as in Largest? No. Greatest as in nicest? Nope, not close.
I am a devoted MAC person (since 1986) and I can say the company has gotten better, but they still kind of suck! They fiiiiinally added a customer support department. Yea!

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caius madison 2012/08/21 07:42:24 (edited)

No

Their marketing team, however, is the very best I have ever seen. They're probably the reason the barely upgrade iAnything to resell you an underpowered, but extremely trendy, easy to use, drop once and done, piece of sh*t. Anti Apple myself, really digging Android tech myself.

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KR811 2012/08/21 05:50:18 (edited)

No

+2
Only their ipods and ipads are flawless products imo. The only problem is iTunes bugging out.

All of their computers are overpriced and do not nearly have the specs to warrant such a price. The lowest Apple laptop costs the same as a mid-tier gaming laptop (which are powerful.)

Apples are NOT immune from viruses, malware or hackers. And the more popular Apple computers get, more viruses will eventually be programmed for Apple.

I also don't like how they practice planned obsolescence for their all of their computers. You can never upgrade an Apple and Apple changes software every 2-3 years.

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addie to KR811 2012/08/21 08:43:58

Some of what you say is true, but the part, MACs are not immune to viruses? I never get any. Do you mean MACs get one for every million going around? lol Fair enough.

They sort of warrant the price (even though they are higher than they should be) because they work.Other computers are much more hassle and have far fewer features and inferior features. They are efficient and even though it always annoyed me that Apple did not have good customer support, they do not actually need too much, they rarely freeze or crash or have all of those other problems. Not like with any of the clones or DOS machines. I mean do you know anyone with a Dell or Sony? Forget it!
If MAC was so bad there would not be Windows and all of the CONSTANT copying.

I will give it to you on the, "planned obsolescence," that is pretty sickening. You only have a top of the line MAC for, maybe a few months, then the new model with important new features is released.
You spend $1200 on a laptop, you want to feel it is not going to be behind the times within 6 months.

I do not know what you mean by, they change their software every 2-3 years. I will trust you. Whatever problem that causes, I do not seem to have it.

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KR811 to addie 2012/08/21 20:25:52

Far fewer and inferior features? Such as what? The only thing I can think off that Apple has a edge over Microsoft is photo/video editing.

Is GAMING an inferior feature? Because most PC games are built only for Microsoft.

Microsoft only copied Apple in only a few (unnecessary imo) perks and in some
aesthetics. I'll give you that.

I meant Apple upgrades their Operating System every 2-3 years. And all new software updates only confirm to the latest operating system. This is in relation to planned obsolescence.

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santa6642 2012/08/21 05:21:40

No

They are just a so so operation and with their liberal leadership that is all they will ever be,.Out sourcing is a major problem with them.

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Monty 2012/08/21 05:13:58

No

I do not like crapple

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ParkMan 2012/08/21 04:57:15

No

Goodness no - they're a great company, but greatest of all time - there are many others that would sooner deserve this title.

I'd like to see these numbers inflation adjusted. Today's most valuable may very well not stack up to earlier giants.

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Chris 2012/08/21 04:06:07 (edited)

Yes

Up until this point anyway in time. You can't say ALL time because that would be the future as well. :P

However, yes it is a great company. But only in the sector of computers.

I don't think it's fair to say Apple is better than Ford or Boeing... they all excel in their own sectors. Apple creates lots of jobs for Americans unlike a Japanese laptop or music player that only benefits Asia. I think Apple is kind of like the Ford of computers. American designed, unfortunately they are still assembled in Asia though just like all other electronics, even though these are very low wage jobs maybe someday that won't be a case and can be assembled in the US as well.

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caius m... to Chris 2012/08/21 07:52:39

Actually, they outsource just as bad as any other humongous American corporation, which means they do NOT provide many jobs for Americans. Manufacturing is certainly not here, and that means the majority of the jobs they have are not here.

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Chris to caius m... 2012/08/21 17:27:15 (edited)

They create and support over half a million American jobs... how can you say that's not many?
http://www.apple.com/about/jo...

And likely that number will only go up as Apple designs and manufacturers their own components, expand with new apple stores, etc. It's not just manual labor jobs in Asia that Apple creates.

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caius m... to Chris 2012/08/21 20:30:28 (edited)

I did say it isn't many, compared to McDonald's or Walmart, againt it is minute. Now what I did say os the majority IS in production, and that is all over seas. So take that decent number, and realize now that the number of jobs that aren't here are bigger.

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Chris to caius m... 2012/08/21 20:40:33 (edited)

Apple provides much better jobs than McDonalds.

Apple Software Engineer Salary : Average 111k

McDonalds Average Employee Salary : Between $7-9 an hour
Even a store manager only makes 38k annually... which is ok, it's a livable wage.

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caius m... to Chris 2012/08/21 21:03:50

It is doable at that rate, and they do provide a considerably larger workforce. A career in anything computers is always better pay than a burger joint.

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