[besson3c]

Apple's market capital is now worth more than Microsoft's, and apparently this last quarter was the first time they earned substantially more than Microsoft as well. Apple is valued as the second US largest company in terms of market cap, only behind Exxon Mobil. Not only this, but Google is also on its way to surpass Microsoft as well.

I'm sure many of you guys are old enough to remember when Apple's stock was completely worthless, and when it was only the irrational wet dreams of Mac fanatics that Apple would overtake Microsoft. Isn't it kind of weird now that this is the actual reality? Do you ever stop and try and put this in perspective? It's trippy... Although PC marketshare may be a semi-useless metric now since the PC is no longer the measuring stick of where the computer industry is at, it will be cool just for old time's sake for Apple to finally overtake Windows in PC marketshare too... I don't think that will happen anytime soon, but...

Apple's comeback has been called the biggest corporate comeback ever, it's quite the story. I guess the old mantra that no dynasty lasts forever is absolutely true!

[AKcrab]

Apple has always > Microsoft for me.

fanboi

[besson3c]

Well, I meant > Microsoft in terms of actual corporate dominances, not just quality of products

[mduell]

Still can't earn as much money (profit) as MS... how and why is Apple failing to deliver value to the marketplace to turn leading profits?

Also note they're the second largest publicly traded company.

[besson3c]

Quarterly revenues were higher this last quarter, and I don't understand your second question at all.

[Spheric Harlot]

I feel totally different from last month.

My penis has tripled in size, and my receding hair is improving my self of steam, as I know that bald men are sexy.

Doctor says it's malignant, but who am I to worry now that my four-year-old MacBook is pure corporate coolness?

[OreoCookie]

As long as Apple makes the products it makes, I don't care.

[Face Ache]

I'm liking how the 'Softies (Microsoft fans) have gone from Apple dismissiveness to pure unadulterated Apple hatred.

[Eug]

I'm still waiting for the shine to wear off. Personally I think AAPL is overpriced. But then again back when it was > $200 it was overpriced too, so what do I know.

In any case, it's gonna be volatile. If Apple falters in any way, the stock is coming down a notch or two. Luckily for Apple, they have had a long string of hits. The iPod transformed the industry. iTunes transformed the industry. The iPhone transformed the industry.

What's next? Cuz it seems almost as if they have to reinvent themselves every few years to maintain that lofty stock price. AAPL investors' expectations are extremely high.

[MacinTommy]

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot 

I feel totally different from last month.

My penis has tripled in size, and my receding hair is improving my self of steam, as I know that bald men are sexy.

Doctor says it's malignant, but who am I to worry now that my four-year-old MacBook is pure corporate coolness?

And I thought you were a female.

[Hawkeye_a]

Originally Posted by Face Ache 

I'm liking how the 'Softies (Microsoft fans) have gone from Apple dismissiveness to pure unadulterated Apple hatred.

I've noticed that as well.... and it's pretty hilarious how they seem to be rallying towards anything Anti-Apple(like Flash or RIM) irrespective of the quality of the product or service provided, whether open or closed, no matter what.... as long as it goes against what Apple is providing.

I think last quarter was history in the making.... Apple overtaking Microsoft in revenues. A true testament to the vertical business model, delivering the entire widget as opposed to building blocks, IMHO.

All the graphs seem to be pointing upwards.... Macs, iPhones/iPod(i personally count iPhone sales as iPod sales since they include the iPod), iPads. And the holiday quarter is upon us at the tail end of a recession.... i'd be willing to bet that Apple will surpass Microsoft in profits this holiday quarter.

Cheers

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by MacinTommy 

And I thought you were a female.

Haven't been since I know how to check.

[besson3c]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye_a 

I've noticed that as well.... and it's pretty hilarious how they seem to be rallying towards anything Anti-Apple(like Flash or RIM) irrespective of the quality of the product or service provided, whether open or closed, no matter what.... as long as it goes against what Apple is providing.

I think last quarter was history in the making.... Apple overtaking Microsoft in revenues. A true testament to the vertical business model, delivering the entire widget as opposed to building blocks, IMHO.

All the graphs seem to be pointing upwards.... Macs, iPhones/iPod(i personally count iPhone sales as iPod sales since they include the iPod), iPads. And the holiday quarter is upon us at the tail end of a recession.... i'd be willing to bet that Apple will surpass Microsoft in profits this holiday quarter.

Cheers

You mean iPads and iPhones and other Apple gear make better Christmas presents than a shiny new copy of Microsoft Office or Windows 7?

I don't know about you, but I want to *really* maximize my spreadsheet productivity. This new version of Excel will change everything!

[Doofy]

I feel nothing in response to this news. Nothing.
It must be my cold, black heart preventing me from feeling.
I am so lost.
Please help me.
I want to feel!
I want to run around with my arms in the air, ecstatic in the revelation of this joyous news about Apple.

[besson3c]

I'm not ecstatic or joyful either, my feeling is more of strangeness in the acceptance of the fact that Apple is dominating Microsoft in profits and growth, when this used to be a pipe dream from a practical standpoint.

[besson3c]

Originally Posted by Doofy 

I feel nothing in response to this news. Nothing.
It must be my cold, black heart preventing me from feeling.

Or, maybe you're a commie that thinks that the government should have all of Apple's wealth?

[Sealobo]

Originally Posted by besson3c 

Apple's market capital is now worth more than Microsoft's, and apparently this last quarter was the first time they earned substantially more than Microsoft as well.

Hm... Apple had more turnoever last quarter, but Microsoft had more profit.

Microsoft is still more profitable. But that probably won't last much longer.

[Kerrigan]

I feel something in between shame and regret.

Ashamed that I do not have the latest and greatest 13" MacBook Air.

Regret that I did not buy $100,000 worth of Apple stock when I was 8.

[iM@k]

Listen! This isn't going to last. Apple as a company is doomed.

The best things they could do is give the money back to the investors with their sincerest apologies and lay this to bed quickly and quietly.

If they are really determined to keep going, they need to get out of the hardware industry ASAP! Sell the software rights to Dell (a company who actually knows something about making good hardware). In exchange for the money burning fancy mall stores which no one visits, they can get some low cost lease space in small town strip malls. Then maybe people will try out their products, they can order them on-line to be shipped as they want, to their homes and offices.

Failing the above suggestions, they'll be gone in less then a year.

[Eug]

When I was a kid, I bought a new Apple computer, instead of putting the $3000 into Cisco stock at its IPO. Damn you, Apple!!!

[Brien]

I agree, I should've bought more AAPL in the 90's.

[The Godfather]

Forget about the 90's. What are you going to do about your portfolio in 2030?

[P]

Originally Posted by besson3c 

Quarterly revenues were higher this last quarter, and I don't understand your second question at all.

Revenue was higher, profit was lower. This is not strange - MS' main business is selling high-margin software, while Apple's business is selling pieces of hardware where they have to buy all the components at market prices.

There is an argument to be made that Apple is overvalued and MS is undervalued. In terms of P/E, it is so - it's an effect of the market regarding MS as a has-been and Apple as a growing company, where noone knows what Jobs will do next. Personally, I think that Apple IS overvalued, because there is only so much Apple can do to grow revenue further and their margins aren't going to improve, but then I'm not Wall Street wiz.

[moonmonkey]

I always think you should be careful what you wish for.
I once wished that Apple would overtake Microsoft.

Now everyone uses Apple branded products, and I have ceased to be one of the special ones.

In fact there are no more special ones.

The future is not exactly what I imagined.

[Big Mac]

How do I feel seeing Apple overtake Microsoft in market cap and revenue? It's hard to believe it. It certainly is an amazing turn of events. In the mid-to-late 1990s Apple was a beleaguered and dying company, taking hundreds of millions in losses per quarter. Mac users were cult devotees of the company. I remember how difficult the times were when Apple slipped to around $13 a share, and there were rumors that Sun or Disney would buy our favorite corporation. But we still believed. We believed in the superiority of the Mac and that Apple could return to greatness. Even though I was mocked at times by PC weenies, and friends told me to accept that Apple was done for, I knew Apple would be powerful again. I don't know if I ever believed Apple could become as popular as it has become, but I always believed it would at least survive. And then we had the Second Coming of Jobs, the iMac, OS X, and then the iDevice revolution. Amazing. I wonder if some of my old PC friends ever think back with shame over mocking my devotion to Apple. Sometimes it is strange to see so many Apple users around and to know that we're not part of a special club anymore, but I prefer it this way because my faith in Apple was vindicated.

Then again I am typing this reply on my home-bult Core i7 PC running Windows 7. A younger me would never have seen that one coming - Apple's more successful than ever yet here I am on a Wintel system.

[Powerbook]

Interesting topic and timing.

I remember Apple from the times well before the return of Mr. Jobs. And I remember the announcements and keynotes etc etc back then, when Apple was sort of dirt poor and a real underdog. But the sympathies were with them plus that buying Apple to make a point against the major Hardware/Windows cartel etc. That feeling is long gone, starting probably with the imho too radical OSX approach, continued with the breakup of the PowerPC alliance and ended with every tens of billion of Dollars in the bank (from which not one single dime is given back to longstanding shareholders). Apple today is a streamlined successful gadgetmaker, in to squeeze bucks out of everything.

Contrary to all that, last Weekend was AmiWest, where the latest and greatest Amiga machine (PowerPC by P.A.Semi) and Amiga OS 4.x was demoed. It was really fun, people would join the Amiga.org chatroom and paste questions to the show organizers. These were then read and answered live on the videostream by the key developers. These are a bunch of hardcore enthusiasts, aiming not for the 95% market share as His Steveness, but for the 0,05% to create a viable niche for their OS.
Since I came from AmigaOS to MacOS, I could see myself going the other way round again. I didn't mind spending thousands on a Mac back in the nineties, so I really can't complain about the two thousand, a top of the line Amiga X1000 would set me back.

Regards
PB.

[Wiskedjak]

It's irrelevant for me. I have nothing invested in Apple and have no real need to see Apple trump Microsoft any more than I need to see Ford trump GM or Coke trump Pepsi. All I want is strong competition.

[chabig]

Originally Posted by P 

Personally, I think that Apple IS overvalued, because there is only so much Apple can do to grow revenue further and their margins aren't going to improve, but then I'm not Wall Street wiz.

You have a problem called "projection". That is, you are projecting your own lack of vision onto Apple. Dangerous.

[Spheric Harlot]

I think these two posts are interesting in juxtaposition:

Originally Posted by moonmonkey 

I always think you should be careful what you wish for.
I once wished that Apple would overtake Microsoft.

Now everyone uses Apple branded products, and I have ceased to be one of the special ones.

In fact there are no more special ones.

The future is not exactly what I imagined.

Originally Posted by Big Mac 

How do I feel seeing Apple overtake Microsoft in market cap and revenue? It's hard to believe it. It certainly is an amazing turn of events. In the mid-to-late 1990s Apple was a beleaguered and dying company, taking hundreds of millions in losses per quarter. Mac users were cult devotees of the company. I remember how difficult the times were when Apple slipped to around $13 a share, and there were rumors that Sun or Disney would buy our favorite corporation. But we still believed. We believed in the superiority of the Mac and that Apple could return to greatness.

I think the point is that "we" believed in our OWN superiority.

It still shows up all the time in those "Apple has become a consumer company", "mainstream", "dumbed-down", "successful at that expense of REAL users" or "Apple won't support this or that particular niche product/medium that my world consists of" yadda yadda yadda rants.

Fact is, before the Second Coming, all Apple had left was a handful of elitist nutcases and a bunch of graphics pros so reactionary that it was simply impossible for them to adapt to a different system (hence all the screaming when Apple switched to OS X, and the gumdrop Aqua interface - they still hang at thalo.net).

I'm just pissed that I didn't follow my own impulse and invest when Apple's stock was at $16 - BEFORE the split. Then again, I didn't really have anything to invest.