Apple Almost 2.5x Microsoft

Apple no longer seems to consider Microsoft the enemy.

There are two primary reasons.

One: It has been some time (and many products) since Microsoft made a product that seemed like a copy of an Apple product (which was Apple’s only contention with Microsoft). In 2006, the actual marketing slogan for Mac OS 10.4 was: ”Redmond, start your photocopiers.”

Two: Apple has prospered, while Microsoft has stagnated.

• Ten years ago, Microsoft was worth 42 times more than Apple.
• Five years ago, Microsoft was worth 2.5 times more than Apple.
• Two years ago, Apple caught up with Microsoft.
• One year ago, Apple was worth more than Microsoft and Intel combined.
• Only five months ago Apple was almost twice as valuable as Microsoft.
• Today, Apple is almost 2.5 times as valuable as Microsoft.

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In related news, Apple’s iPhone Is Now Worth More Than All Of Microsoft.

Reminds me of this:

What I can’t figure out is why he [Steve Jobs] is even trying [to be the CEO of Apple]? He knows he can’t win. – Bill Gates, June 1998

What useful themes can we glean from all this?

Profitin’ ain’t easy.

Most recent quarterly reports:

Apple net profit: $8.8 billion

Samsung net profit: $4.6 billion

Amazon net profit: $7 million

Microsoft net profit: -$492 million

As John Gruber points out: Amazon made in three months what Apple made every two hours.

Two take-aways:

• I have never liked Amazon’s business strategy
• Passion and vision trump all. Find what you love, love, love to do. Then do it.

2% more.

For those tracking these things: Apple only needs a 2% (from their closing price of 525.76) increase in their stock price to hit $500 Billion market capitalization.

The Largest Company Ever

This thought has been percolating in my mind for a couple of weeks:

As best I can tell, the most valuable a company has ever been was Petrol China in 2007 at $720 Billion.

Apple is currently worth $487 Billion (as of Feb 24, 2012).

That means their value would have to increase around 50% to pass the $720 Billion mark.

Apple has been averaging 50% annual stock gains for the past ten years (with 2007-2008 the only exception).*

So… it is likely that in the next year, Apple will become the most valuable company in history.

Note: I am using “largest” and “most valuable” as synonyms here.

Side note: in the next year, Apple will also become the most profitable company in history.

And they can fit every product they make on a office table (at 4:49).

* And Apple anticipates continued crazy growth.

Apple is the largest company in the world.

It happened briefly, slightly yesterday, then with feeling today… Apple has passed Exxon-Mobile in market capitalization to become the largest (most valuable) company in the world.

Those of you within earshot of me will remember that last year, I predicted that this would happen by the end of this year. It happened ahead of my prediction.

What did we learn from this? What I said yesterday: Vision trumps everything. Whether you are parenting, teaching, running a business, pastoring, painting, writing,… having a clear, laser-focused vision will produce infinitely better results than trying to guide yourself via surveys, market-studies, feedback, examining data.

Vision, vision, vision. The more you reduce it (simplify it) the better. The clearer (more defined) the better.

Vision trumps everything.