[stripes1776]

If you want an echo chamber, and no dissenting viewpoints, then why don’t you push to have the Apple posts become part of a caucus, like religions?

You can dissent if you have a well-reasoned argument. But you cannot engage in ad hominem attacks. There is a huge difference between the two.

PugetSoundSoldier: You called Swordmaker a liar and a shill. That is an ad hominem attack. If you engage in ad hominem attacks one more time, I will call in a moderator.

[PugetSoundSoldier]

Read back to see the beginning. I've been civil with antiRepublicrat and you because you have been civil with me. But as I've told the moderators before - including Jim - if I'm called out and attacked then I'll dish back the same.

Now, back on the focus of the original post:

What reason should Apple be more highly valued than Microsoft? They make less revenue, less profit, a lower profit margin, do not dominate their core markets like Microsoft, and are losing marketshare to new offerings.

What possible sound, technical reason is there for Apple being the most valued company in the world?

I can think of just one: hope for the future. Even though things are sliding down in market share, it's hope for the future.

Isn't that what defines a bubble? Irrational hope for big returns in the future, when there aren't any technical indicators to support the valuation?

For that matter, why would Microsoft or Apple be more highly valued than ExxonMobil? Modern society CAN function without smartphones! It ran fine without PCs up until the mid 80s. But remove oil. No cars or planes. None of those container ships to bring those iPhones over. None of the polymers and plastics to MAKE those iPhones.

XOM has massive sales - $310 billion. They have $19 billion in profits. They sell a fundamental product REQUIRED for 2nd or 1st world life, everywhere around the world.

I can see Microsoft being close to the same valuation as XOM - they make about the same product, and much of modern life everywhere in the world revolves around a PC and computer systems.

Apple? Way down in profits. Their profits are driven by smartphones and media players - neither of which are necessary in the least for modern life (there's a reason Nokia sells 260,000 phones a day - they're reliable, they make great calls, they last forever on a charge, and they're durable).

So XOM sells a base commodity that is REQUIRED for modern life. Microsoft dominates the core (the OS) of information technology around the world. Apple sells a dwindling share of smartphones and media players.

And Apple is going to be the most valuable company in the world?

Signs of a bubble to me, much like the tech bubble in 1999/2000. Companies taking 1-2 years (or less) of growth, projecting forward, and asking for insane valuations based upon that growth.