Apple and Microsoft now neck and neck in market capitalization
By Donald Melanson 
posted May 26th 2010 3:24PM
posted May 26th 2010 3:24PM
Apple and Microsoft, together at last -- in terms of market capitalization, anyway. While that may have seemed inevitable to anyone that's been watching the markets lately, it's certainly nonetheless a significant milestone in the history between the two companies, and all the more striking if you look at a chart comparing the two companies over, say, the past five years (see for yourself after the break). As you can see above, however, Microsoft is still hanging onto a slight lead by one measure of market capitalization, but if you use another factoring in debt and other factors, Apple is now actually ahead of Microsoft in total value as of yesterday, and behind only Exxon Mobil among all US companies. No word on any celebrations breaking out in Cupertino just yet, but Apple will soon have a prime opportunity to do a bit of crowing should it choose to.
@ashleythehottiest
Meh. I'll go back to listening to music on my ipod while using my windows PC.
@DirtyVegas
Am I the only one that doesn't see the big point??
What does this actually mean anyway?
Apple has been beating them in the mp3 game for a while now (Zune vs iPhone)
Its no big deal in the phone market either because Apple has been Killing Microsoft comfortably.
Worldwide Apple Computers are not even close to having marketshare to Microsoft same with the Gaming consoles(xbox). I mean Apple does have the three portables thats it. Compare buying 2 dollar games to 60 dollars respectively.
Other than that.. What does this change?
other than public perception because we all have been knowing Microsoft has been tanking since Vista came out.
Not new news...
please tell me the new?
@BeeDavis
Yeah, it's not news at all, really, except now the "Apple is overtaking Microsoft" has become "Apple overtook Microsoft finally".
Actually, I didn't think this was the first time this has happened? And it won't necessarily stay this way.
My only issue was with your comment -- "since Vista". No, it's been obvious that Microsoft has been faltering for at least 10 years. The fact that Vista was delayed over 3 years and then was STILL a total turd was just beating a dead horse. Given that, I'm surprised at how quickly they cranked out Win7 and how good it turned out to be.
@UnixSystemsEngineer
Yeah, I can tell Microsoft is really working to get back in the game this year (Windows Phone 7, Windows 7, Project Natal, XNA 4.0, Office 2010, Internet Explorer 9, Slate PC, etc.). But I don't think Slate PC's will really take off unless Intel (especially) starts making smaller and more power-efficient processors (and they are), and manufacturers make more touch-friendly UI's, although that's not too necessary.
@UnixSystemsEngineer Part of the reason Windows 7 was able to be churned out so quickly was because it was based on Vista. Meaning that Vista was in no way the "turd" that you claim it to be.
Do you Microsoft fanboys need a tissue?
@BeeDavis
It's a milestone, that's all. People have a habit of setting milestones and then commenting when we reach said milestones.
@synthesized Nope. Do you Apple fanbois need a parade?
@DirtyVegas
hell yeah
@UnixSystemsEngineer Windows 7 was the original Longhorn. Vista was an intermediate release forced because Longhorn was slipping.
@onu
LOLOLOLOL... wow... that is sooooooome revisionist history.
Real
Artists
Ship
@Fdo35 This is not a surprise to think that iPad had sold much like hotcakes for the past 2 months, and to think that Microsoft got a problem with its courier tablet. But I have a feeling, MS will pull it off on the next coming months, with its projects (natal, windows phone 7, xna, etc) http://j.mp/natal-time-official-impressions
@DirtyVegas
and I'll go back to listening to music on my Zune while writing this reply on my Mac.
@synthesized
not really
windows 7 is still far superior to OS X so im ok with that :)
It would be interesting to see what MSFT will claw back once Windows 7 hits its stride along with their office suites, and of course their WP7S stuff and since for the last year or two their XBox division has been in the green and with their release of Natal.
Then Apple has IPhone4OS, the iPad still going great guns...
either way, the consumer wins :)
ooooooo snap!
@ashleythehottiest The edited version of "Oh shit"?
@N900 lol i thought i didn't go through the first time
@ashleythehottiest
What happened to the first page of comments? It says I'm on page one but this comment is at the top, and I know there were comments before it (I was on this post earlier)... Is there a page 0? haha
Seriously though I'm not sure what's going on.
@ashleythehottiest
look at that GOO stock...ballin
It's on like Donkey Kong!!
@1 Infinite Loop Cupertino CA
But, but, but, Steve said Microsoft won.
@Canucker
The PC war, MS won the PC war and yes, Job's said it.
@roflcopter
Yup, the desktop war is over, & Windows won, and not by innovating. There is a whole new frontier in which MS has fallen woefully behind, and it is going to be as big, if not bigger than the desktop. Microsoft will not come back, certainly not with Ballmer in charge. It's like having a monkey take over the controls of an in flight plane. Yup , it will stay in the air for a little while, but inevitably it is going down.
Google didn't get invited to the party?
@MattsZ They're two thirds the size of the other two, for now.
@BecauseItsNotGoogle
No, Google is just down right now. Just a few months ago they were AHEAD of Apple. But Apples got a spike right now, just like the Google spike a couple months ago. Eventually they will level out. Google and Apple's true value is much closer than Apple and Microsoft.
@BecauseItsNotGoogle Dude shut up... You can make the same argument for google that you can for MSFT,
Google: its amazing that a company who makes 99% of its profit from advertising is A. worth that much and B. so high in Market Cap
Microsoft: Wow its amazing that a company who makes most of their money from two software licenses has been ahead of apple who is in almost every market involving tech for so long
-fan of MSFT and Google btw
@MattsZ
Market Capitalisation doesn't really indicate the size of the company just how well it's doing. The fact that a smaller company like Google is on this list means its doing really well.
@fais Or it means that Google and Apple are very popular among traders and MS is a steady player. Because the turnover and provit of MS is still much higher then Apple's.
Google is still a hype (ok, they have profen themselves in some places, but not everywhere), Apple still lives on the iPod/iPhone/iPad hype. They had the iMac hype before, when that faded, Apple almost faded too.
@Daanmannetje
Agreed. And these figures don't necessarily show that MS isn't popular. But you have to ask why Google and Apple are popular with traders apart the hype the're probably seeing more growth/potential for growth in these companies.
Fanboys! Trolls! Come one, come all!
I'm breaking out the waders. Shit's about to get thick in here.
@BigJayDogg3 : ?
so, now that apple isn't the underdog, can we all stop routing for them?
@jonyah
are you suggesting we have all routers block incoming/outgoing traffic to apple.com?
@brookey86 Just a thought, I wonder if the same people who insist on pronouncing "route" as "root" also call their router a "rooter"?
@brookey86 No, he's saying that all the buses should stop making local stops there. ;)
@FallenArms3
Actually they do. Or maybe it's just people don't know how to say router. When I worked at Circuit City people would always come in asking for "rooters." Or maybe it was "Reuters."
@FallenArms3
You mean the rest of the world?
Yes they do.
You might want to check where the word came from and how it's pronounced there...
Hint: France.
@N900
cupterino has bus stops? i thought everyone around there drove nice cars... lol
@gatorduck Of course they have bus stops, the iBus is the only vehicle that can operate on the roads there.
@FallenArms3 I do as do all us Brits. And?
@Khav
I honestly do live in cupertino, and i am amazed that Steve drives a benz, and not an iCar
@ajwoodhouse You say tomato, I say tomato.
No, wait... er...
@FallenArms3
It IS pronounced "Rooter" yanks just say Rowter because they seem to neglect the first rule of the English language; Every rule has an exception to that rule!
@FallenArms3
Over here a 'rowter' is a woodworking tool. Believe it or not, not everyone speaks with an american accent.
The the vitriol from the haters begin!
@AyeJay85: What the the?
Can someone explain this please. Is this saying the Apple is worth the same as Microsoft??
@tobsmonster2
Apple is currently worth more than Microsoft. Pretty amazing considering they looked dead before Steve came back.