Apple ranks in at number 5 on the latest Fortune 500, the annual list that ranks US companies by revenue, this time for fiscal year 2014. The company maintains its same position as last year behind Berkshire Hathaway (no. 4), Chevron (no. 3), Exxon Mobil (no. 2), and Wal-Mart Stores (no. 1).
While Apple comes in at fifth place for revenue, Fortune notes that it “boasts both the biggest profits of any company on the list ($39.5 billion) and the highest market value (more than $700 billion).”
After a bumpy start to 2014, Apple’s stock finished the year up 40%, adding nearly $200 billion to the company’s market value. A product pipeline that’s gotten Apple fanboys lining up all over again has certainly helped reenergize revenue growth: In addition to unveiling new categories like Apple Pay and Apple Watch, the company launched the iPhone 6, selling a record-breaking 10 million units in the first three days. As CEO Tim Cook recently told investors: “It’s tough to find something in the numbers not to like.” The normally low-profile Cook is breaking new ground in other ways too—in October, 2014 he came out as the first openly gay CEO of a Fortune 500 company.
It was back in 2013 that Apple jumped into the top 10 for the first time as other tech companies — including Facebook, Microsoft, and Amazon — barely made the list. Other tech companies on the list this year include AT&T (no. 12), Verizon (no. 15), HP (no. 19), IBM (no. 24), Amazon (no. 29), Microsoft (no. 31), and Google (no. 40), among others further down on the list.
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The bigger you are the harder you fall. I sincerely hope Time Cook and the gang keep their heads screwed on tight and not get to thinking their shit doesn’t stink. That would be bad.
People have been saying the same thing to the petrochem guys for over 80 years.
I think they already think their shit doesn’t stink, and I’m as big an Apple fan as the next Apple fan.
It’s Apple’s game to lose because I don’t think it’s going to be very easy for another company to come along and take them down within the next few years. Money isn’t everything, but no company is sitting on a cash reserve larger than Apple’s cash reserve. There’s an awful lot of corporate money overseas that’s going to waste. At some point there’s going to be an overseas tax repatriation holiday and that cash will give Apple a huge advantage.
I think it says a lot about the economic state when the top three on the 500 list are 1)a company who is shameless about selling crap imported products and 2)the other two get away with killing off competing technologies and gouge for their product while trashing the environment.
Depending upon which way you look at it, some folk believe Apple sell crap products too. So what’s your point?
Killing off competing technologies? Like what?
“Computers, Office Equipment”
That description sounds like it was written in the 90s, time to update it just a little bit.
“Fortune notes that it “boasts both the biggest profits of any company on the list ($39.5 billion) and the highest market value (more than $700 billion).”
Guess what magazine is now irrelevant for their Fortune 500? lol
Fanboys? Seriously?