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1500 senior execs name Apple most innovative company in the world 9th year running

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The Boston Consulting Group’s annual list of the world’s most innovative companies has again named Apple as the leader of the pack, a position it has held since the survey began in 2005.

The list is based on a survey of 1500 senior execs across a range of industries, with five criteria applied:

The report singles out five factors that lead to strength in innovation: senior-management commitment, the ability to leverage intellectual property, customer focus, innovation portfolio management and well-defined and governed processes.

BCG also created a second list of up-and-coming companies that it feels to be innovative without having yet hit the big time. These companies include Groupon, Pinterest, Spotify, Rakuten, Netflix, Alibaba, Xiaomi Tech and WhatsApp.

Back in March, Apple retained the top spot in the JD Power phone satisfaction survey, also for the 9th year running, and earlier this month did the same for PCs in the American Customer Satisfaction Index for the 10th year in a row.

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Comments

  1. Apple is doomed ? :)

  2. Laughing_Boy48 - 10 years ago

    Innovation? Nonsense. Every day I check on the internet and there must be dozens of articles saying that Apple no longer innovates because Steve Jobs is dead. Nearly every day I read how Apple’s iPhone is totally underwhelming when compared to all the Android products being made. Exactly what prompted this group to decide that Apple still has innovation left. I really wish they’d be more specific as to what they consider innovation. Neither the smartphone industry or Wall Street think that Apple can still innovate. They’re always asking where is Apple’s latest disruptive product. Nobody sees anything. Fingerprint sensor? BOOOOOring. 64-bit A7 processor? Mehhh and double meh. Someone must have some crossed signals. The ‘Apple is doomed’ theory is becoming more popular by the day.

    • rettun1 - 10 years ago

      Read it on the internet = must be true

    • FAKE (@bob_spounge) - 10 years ago

      “Apple no longer innovates because Steve Jobs is dead” –

      “Apple’s iPhone is totally underwhelming when compared to all the Android products being made” – Is that your personal opinion or are you still just reading too many hate articles??

      “what prompted this group to decide that Apple still has innovation left” – Hmm, I dont know. Maybe 1500 executives who are in business and know about business, know more about running a company than you do. What were your business credentials again?

      “Fingerprint sensor? BOOOOOring. 64-bit A7 processor? Mehhh and double meh” – in comparison to…?

      “Someone must have some crossed signals” – yes, you.

      “The ‘Apple is doomed’ theory is becoming more popular by the day” – Well if Apple is doomed Microsoft has no hope and Samsung will have no one to take lead from

    • iphonenick (@iphonenick) - 10 years ago

      Laughing_Boy48 – and you should believe everything analysts and the media say. How about you take a look at Apple’s revenue, net income, balance sheet a day market capitalisation before spewing comments from your mother’s basement…how much is Samsung paying for negative Apple comments today?

    • Alex Yang - 10 years ago

      I don’t believe the people understand your satire based on the comments. I’m getting a good laugh from this.

      • dman238 - 10 years ago

        @Alex If it’s satire it’s STUPID satire. I’ve seen this “laughing boy” guy around, trolling the comments sections of various Apple/Mac related websites and he never offers anything worthwhile or the slightest bit enlightening. The guy needs to realize that he’s just wasting his time trolling the comment boards and do something more productive in life or at the very least offer something constructive to the conversation

      • mockery17 - 10 years ago

        He’s being sarcastic. Calm down people.

  3. Ryan D. K. Brady - 10 years ago

    I don’t get it, I really don’t. Maybe apple still has their innovation when compared to samsung, but when compared to any number of tech startups? I really don’t see it?

    What exactly is the innovation? The fingerprint sensor and 64 bit architecture is just miniaturization. Those features have already shown up on PCs for some time now.

    • Brian (@BrainGameMayhem) - 10 years ago

      Your argument is invalid. We’ve been able to get directions, browse the web, and play games on computers before the iPhone. Does that mean the iPhone wasn’t innovative?

      • dman238 - 10 years ago

        Ditto. I couldn’t of said in better myself

    • rettun1 - 10 years ago

      Funny how people mainly focus on the iPhone when they talk about innovation and apple. They paved the way for the modern ultra book, smartphone, tablet, they make the best all in one. As for expecting innovation every single year, well that’s kind of ridiculous.

Author

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


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