All quotes.

Yes, that’s correct. Apple builds consumer products, not computers. Windows and box PCs are all DIY. You HAD to know how to tinker and get your geek on to get full use out of them. And in the beginning, geeks were the only computer owners. And as more people wanted to use them, they bought the idea that they “had” to use MS products to be compatible with work or the geek next door told them Macs were toys. Now people want computers to work like appliances, they don’t want to tinker, though Apple does leave the ability to tinker at whatever low level you want, in its Unix core. People want to use the thing for spreadsheets and letters and websites and photos, music, movies, you name it. And they don’t want to have to learn the 10,000 Word “secrets” to write a stupid resume!

Apple gets that, Dell and MS has not. That’s why Apple’s market cap does matter and the reason why Apple has been bucking the PC maker stagnation trend and growing like crazy. Apple is making things that work and once that becomes clear to the PC lemmings out there still trying to figure out what a registry setting is and why they have to spend their time worrying about up-to-date virus definitions and having a hardware upgrade decertify their PC when all they really want to do is use the computer to create content and enhance their lives (not BECOME their lives!)” – Joel.

More here.

As of Oct 18, The market cap:

• Microsoft (MSFT) – $292,958,592,320
• Google (GOOG) – $199,647,788,700
• Intel (INTC) – $157,504,800,000
• IBM (IBM) – $156,174,723,600
• Apple (AAPL) – $150,882,713,500
• Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) – $136,302,137,940
• Disney (DIS) – $67,505,336,720
• Dell (DELL) – $66,172,115,820
• Sony (SNE) – $46,786,274,780
• Yahoo! (YHOO) – $39,315,851,200
• Amazon (AMZN) – $37,143,900,150
• Adobe (ADBE) – $27,031,152,680
• RealNetworks (RNWK) – $1,000,459,980
• Napster (NAPS) – $148,944,000

 

Performance in the last 3 years (source):

stock graphs

Apple takes off. Google and Hewlett-Packard have both enjoyed some growth. Everyone else?