WEEK 9

Apple Passes Microsoft as No. 1 in Tech
Wall Street has called the end of an era and the beginning of the next one: The most important technology product no longer sits on your desk but rather fits in your hand. 
The moment came Wednesday when Apple, the maker of iPods, iPhones and iPads, shot past Microsoft, the computer software giant, to become the world’s most valuable technology company.
 As of Wednesday, Wall Street valued Apple at $222.12 billion and Microsoft at $219.18 billion. The only American company valued higher is Exxon Mobil, with a market capitalization of $278.64 billion.

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There are a lot of factors considered in this article, but the headline really supports the main value:  Apple's stated value has surpassed Microsoft's. This seems significant, given that Apple had seemed to be "dead" in the late '80's and early '90's, and has surged back to the fore, particularly relying on products like the iPod, iPhone, and iPad. The approach to R&D at Apple seems to be very different from that at Microsoft, and it appears to be a success.  As the article states, the shift has gone from business computing being the main player in the market, there has been a major surge in the consumer computing market, with Apple products being well-received.