Apple (AAPL): The No.1 Brand In The Galaxy

A new piece of research shows that Apple (AAPL) has the largest impact of any global brand. Reuters writes that "The poll by online magazine brandchannel.com asked its readers to identify the brands with the greatest impact on their lives, and say how they affected readers’ behaviour and their view of the world."

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) turned up as the brand most respondents would like to see "revamped". The poll covered 2,000 people in 107 countries.

The data shows how fleeting the force of well-regarded fame can be. In 2000, Apple was a company with a niche PC, the Mac. Much of the company’s rise to respect is due to the iPod, which has sold 140 million units since it was introduced in 2001. The product now comes in zillions of colors and incarnations.

The success of the iPod has allowed Apple to make the audacious move of entering the cellular handset market with the iPhone. It has done this despite competition from much large companies with brands which have been in the market for over a decade, especially Nokia (NOK), Motorola (MOT), and Samsung.

Getting to the top is one thing. Staying there is another. Apple will almost certainly need a new product line to hold its spot. It is in a good position to go into the fruit business.

Douglas A. McIntyre