Why Apple is the most successful company in history

Computerworld ^ | Feb 14, 2015 4:00 AM PT | By Mike Elgan

[Swordmaker]

Everyone knows that Apple had a great fourth quarter and that its most successful product line, the iPhone, is doing better than ever, too.

But it's difficult to grasp what a mind-blowingly successful company Apple is until you take the time to gather and digest news about the company that has emerged in the past week or two.

I've done it. And it has become obvious to me that Apple is not only successful, not only the most successful company in technology, not only the most successful company in the world but the most successful company in the history of companies.

Is that an extreme statement? Maybe. But let me make my case, and we'll see if you disagree.

Here are the 11 ways that Apple is the most successful company in history.

• 1. Apple is the world's most valuable company

• 2. Apple is the world's most valuable brand

• 3. Apple makes more money than any company ever

• 4. Apple's cash flow problem is that it doesn't spend enough

• 5. Apple has crushed (or co-opted) all rivals

• 6. Apple is building the world's coolest headquarters

• 7. Apple has mostly solved the phone theft problem

• 8. Apple has mostly solved the app discovery problem

• 9. Apple has mostly solved the China problem

• 10. Apple has mostly solved the wearables problem

• 11. Apple's biggest business opportunity has barely started

All of these successes add up to Apple clearly being the most successful company in history. No other company has ever made this much money, won on so many fronts or positioned itself to keep on winning.

[TexasGator]

“And how much of that cash is yours? None?”

I have a few shares of it.

[TexasGator]

“why on earth do you find some FReepers being such rabid, obsessive and totally irrational Apple-haters?”

I love the APPLE company. I have their stock but have a Samsung phone and tablet.

‘rabid, obsessive and totally irrational Apple-haters’ love to needle the ‘rabid, obsessive and totally irrational Apple-fanatics’.

[TexasGator]

“I would buy an IPhone but I am not going to pay Apple $80 a month for my minimal use of their service”

You don’t pay Apple $80 a month.

[Tallguy]

When you start reading articles like this it’s time to sell.

[Swordmaker]

You've made the false assertion:.

PLEASE PROVIDE A LINK PROVING YOUR STATEMENT THAT
"!!! Using Apple products cures cancer !!!
OTHERWISE ADMIT
YOU ARE A TROLL AND A LIAR AND SHUT UP!

I am challenging you to prove you are not a liar.

[caver]

Thanks for the eye opener! I see where you are coming from. True, they don’t make any money off of me. I guess I am glad to be the bottom of the barrel.

[Swordmaker]

And how much of that cash is yours? None? So don’t you feel stupid being their cheerleader? Unless you are being paid to steal FR’s bandwidth using FR as an Apple blog.

When did you stop beating your wife and children, CodeToad? This morning? Same type of innuendo. Cut it out.

[Jim from C-Town]

I own no Apple products. That being said it is hard not to be impressed at the Apple brand. They are doing great things. However, they are always the next Prodigy, World Com. and Republic Steel.

They are a Corporation, even worse a technology corporation. Corporations have a habit of becoming complacent. Apple did in the past and damn near went out of business. They had to bring back Steve Jobs to basically rescue them from imminent demise.

We will have to see if the present management lead by self identified Sodomite Tim Cook can continue to inspire and innovate. They can never get Jobs back another time.

In time even Apple will go the way of DeSoto Motor Corp. Bough or buried.

[Swordmaker]

I guess I am glad to be the bottom of the barrel

Not necessarily. But the chase to the bottom of the barrel of cheap junk phone, and cheap junk PCs, is what doomed the other Android phone makers and the PC market as they cut prices to compete on price alone.

Apple won't play in that market.

It is not a judgement on you. You make a choice of what kind of phone you need. Your use pattern does not fit a pocket computer with a phone attached. That does not make you wrong. It just means you are not going to be a target demographic for a smartphone. . . at this time. That may change in the future.

[Jim from C-Town]

Exactly! It is like saying that Bill Gates is the wealthiest American ever. John D. Rockefeller by the time of his death in 1937, estimates place his net worth in the range of US$392 billion to US$663.4 billion in inflation adjusted dollars. That would be between 5 to 10 times more wealth than Gates in today’s money.

[Swordmaker]

We will have to see if the present management lead by self identified Sodomite Tim Cook can continue to inspire and innovate. They can never get Jobs back another time.

Don't be too sure. ;^)

The iOuija Board — Apple Patent Pending

[central_va]

Apple has $178 Billion just in cash on hand.

OMG if Apple on shored their factories to the USA they might go out of business.

< /sarc >

So answer my question: Taken to its logical conclusion, the process of off shoring factories and replacing US workers with Asian workers should continue until every manufacturing facility has been off shored?

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

I believe Apple Pay will grow massively in the next few years to become an even bigger business for Apple than the iPhone.

An admissible possibility, I’d say. Now if AAPL can just keep from blowing it all on the electric car chimera . . .

[TalBlack]

“3. Apple makes more money than any company ever”.

Is this true in constant dollars? Some of those robber baron fortunes were off the charts in actual buying power.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

Taken to its logical conclusion, the process of off shoring factories and replacing US workers with Asian workers should continue until every manufacturing facility has been off shored?

If Apple were trying to do that, the US government is sure setting it up to where that would make the most sense in terms of profit!

Apple sells tons (and tons) of iPhones outside the US. Apple pays taxes in the countries in which it sells phones. If Apple brought that money to America and gave it to its shareholders, the shareholders would pay income tax on that money. But that isn’t enough for Obama; he insists that Apple (any corporation) which makes taxable income abroad and brings it home also pays tax again to the Federal Juggernaut. It follows that it behooves Apple (and any other corp with foreign sales) to offshore as much as possible of the cost of doing business, just to use up the foreign money it is accumulating and can’t repatriate to America without enormous tax penalty.

It is also true that corporate interest payments are deductible as an expense for corporate tax purposes, but dividend payments are not. This biases the American corporation away from selling stock to raise capital, and instead to borrow for any capital needs. That is dangerous to the corporate structure, because shareholders assume risk, and bondholders do not. Shareholders may or may not get dividends, but bondholders have to be paid.

So everything says that dividends should be deductible from corporate income. America, and Americans, would be significantly better off.

[doorgunner69]

I have long suspected he is being paid to spam many sites with apple drivel. He is virtually never on threads other than apple spamming and defending.

Now, why would that be?

[caver]

I understand what you are saying. It makes sense. Apple won’t make any money off of people like me.

[caver]

Good for you! I’m just not tethered to my phone.

[caver]

“You don’t pay Apple $80 a month.”

I know. I’m paying a provider. Apple could change that if they wanted.

[corkoman]

Unless you are being paid to steal FR’s bandwidth using FR as an Apple blog.

And why would history's greatest company not buy-off hundreds of wormtounges to troll forums with oodles of pre-packaged mantras about their enlightened superiority?

One does not need to "hate" apple to cast a wary eye on their practice of behavioral modification.

I like to drag and drop files from a File Manager and avoid having to synch thru itunes. Does that make me a hater?