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Apple Leaps to #6 in Latest Fortune 500 Rankings

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Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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Fortune today released its annual "Fortune 500" list, a high-profile ranking of the largest companies in the United States ranked by revenue. In the new rankings, Apple has risen to #6 from its #17 spot in last year's rankings.
Apple is bigger than ever -- the company cracked the Fortune 10 this year. But it's a high-pressure job, being king of the hill. At Apple's press event this past October, it maintained more than disrupted with its software upgrades and iPad mini announcement. Also, this past year has seen a lot of CEO Tim Cook having to apologize -- once in September for the failure of Apple's maps app, and then to Chinese consumers this April for slow repair services -- this in a market that Cook said this past January would be Apple's largest. Still, when every executive wants to invent the iPod of ___, Apple remains an innovation icon.
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Wal-Mart edged out ExxonMobil for the top spot in this year's rankings, with Chevron, Phillips 66, and Berkshire Hathaway also ranking ahead of Apple and its $156.2 billion in revenue. In looking at profits, Apple ranked second among Fortune 500 companies at $41.7 billion, trailing only ExxonMobil at $44.9 billion.

aapl_fortune_500_2013.jpg
Apple's Fortune 500 rankings, 1983-2013 (Source: setteB.IT)​
Apple is on track for another strong performance this year, having reached $22.6 billion in profit on sales of $98.1 billion in the first half of the year. That compares to earnings of $24.7 billion on $85.5 billion in revenue for the first half of fiscal 2012.

Article Link: Apple Leaps to #6 in Latest Fortune 500 Rankings
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2013/05/06/apple-leaps-to-6-in-latest-fortune-500-rankings/
3N16MA

3N16MA

macrumors 65816
Jul 23, 2009
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This is what happens when you run a doomed company. It cracks the top 10 in the Fortune 500.
 
IJ Reilly

IJ Reilly

macrumors P6
Jul 16, 2002
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The Fortune 500 is nothing more than a showplace ranking, an antique. Wal-Mart posted nearly three times the revenue of Apple, but Apple is more than twice as profitable.
 
Rogifan

Rogifan

macrumors Penryn
Nov 14, 2011
24,134
31,183
3N16MA said:
This is what happens when you run a doomed company. It cracks the top 10 in the Fortune 500.
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Ah but unless the 5S has a 5" and we get a super cheap plastic phone Apple will struggle to make the top 50 next year. /s
 
Simplicated

Simplicated

macrumors 65816
Sep 20, 2008
1,422
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Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
sseaton1971 said:
How many people will miss the /s and reply defensively? ;)
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I will. :D

I mean, why the hell would Apple want to target the low-end market? It's not something they've ever done (iPod shuffle, Mac mini?), and they shouldn't do it. If they make a low-cost iPhone, it signifies the death of Apple's core values and I'll definitely switch to Android. :D
 
bbeagle

bbeagle

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Oct 19, 2010
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IJ Reilly said:
The Fortune 500 is nothing more than a showplace ranking, an antique. Wal-Mart posted nearly three times the revenue of Apple, but Apple is more than twice as profitable.
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The Fortune 500 list is a list of the top 500 companies by REVENUE. It's a list of companies you are most likely to be a customer of. It's something that companies strive to be a part of. It generally means that you are a big, successful company.

Of course, Apple is the 2nd most profitable company, but that doesn't mean squat, because, of course, they are doomed. Therefore, a list of the top 500 companies by PROFIT would just be a showplace, an antique.
 
the8thark

the8thark

macrumors 601
Apr 18, 2011
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I'd love to see them all ranked by profit. Apple would be near the top if not the top there.

To me profit means more then raw revenue does.
 
L

lkrupp

macrumors 68000
Jul 24, 2004
1,876
3,798
One thing we know for sure. If this report had shown Apple moving DOWN the list this thread would already have 300 posts, mostly by the resident haters crowing about their predictions of doom. As it is this thread will die quickly because it shows Apple in a positive light, and we just can't have that on MacRumors.:D
 
IJ Reilly

IJ Reilly

macrumors P6
Jul 16, 2002
17,909
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Palookaville
bbeagle said:
The Fortune 500 list is a list of the top 500 companies by REVENUE. It's a list of companies you are most likely to be a customer of. It's something that companies strive to be a part of. It generally means that you are a big, successful company.

Of course, Apple is the 2nd most profitable company, but that doesn't mean squat, because, of course, they are doomed. Therefore, a list of the top 500 companies by PROFIT would just be a showplace, an antique.
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What are you talking about? Do you even know?

Of course the Fortune 500 is about revenue. That's what I said. But I'm also saying revenue is pretty much irrelevant as a measurement of business success. A company could lose money and still be in the Fortune 500. In fact HP (#15) was unprofitable last year. So was Amazon (#49), Best Buy (#61), and a whole bunch more.
 
IJ Reilly

IJ Reilly

macrumors P6
Jul 16, 2002
17,909
1,496
Palookaville
the8thark said:
I'd love to see them all ranked by profit. Apple would be near the top if not the top there.

To me profit means more then raw revenue does.
Click to expand...

The full list can be sorted by profit. It puts Apple in the #2 spot ($41.7b) after ExxonMobil ($44.9b). Number 3 is Chevron, at $26.1b.

Of interest to me is that these oil companies are as large as they are today due to mergers. Apple has never merged with any company, nor has it even taken over any significantly large company. They've built the company the old-fashioned way -- from scratch.
 
J

jdechko

macrumors 601
Jul 1, 2004
4,230
325
Proof of what we already know. Apple is doing fine despite what all of the "analysts" say.
 
iGrip

iGrip

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Jul 1, 2010
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Apple products are very high quality, as reflected in the rankings. Only the highest quality companies make it into the top ten.
 
Last edited:
Rocketman

Rocketman

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Dec 2, 2001
6,191
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Claremont, The intellectual capitol of the world.
Fortune 500 top 7 said:
Rank Company Name Revenues ($b) Profits ($mm)
1 Wal-Mart Stores 469.2 16,999
2 Exxon Mobil 449.9 44,880
3 Chevron 233.9 26,179
4 Phillips 66 169.6 4,124
5 Berkshire Hathaway 162.5 14,824
6 Apple 156.5 41,733
7 General Motors 152.3 6,188
Click to expand...
In reviewing the Fortune 500 top 7 list several things pop out.

Ranking them by profits it is
1 Exxon Mobile $44.88B
2 Apple $41.73B
3 Chevron $26.18B
4 Wal-Mart $17.00B
5 Berkshire $14.82B
6 Government Motors $6.19B
7 Phillips 66 $4.12B

Apple has by far the highest profit per revenue ratio. Apple's profit is very close to the highest in the list, and notably about 3x the profit of the largest revenue company Wal-Mart, which has 3x the revenue as Apple making it 1/9 as efficient!

Rocketman
 
nagromme

nagromme

macrumors G5
May 2, 2002
12,546
1,196
Under Steve Jobs, "disruptions" were years apart.

Now Tim Cook's Apple (and no other company on Earth) is expected to release a "disruptive" product every three months or the company will be a smoking hole in a year :p
 
autrefois

autrefois

macrumors 65816
Oct 22, 2003
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I’m autrefois+, the same as autrefois but with a +
Mac21ND said:
Ok, I'll say it:

"Apple is doomed."

yada. yada. yada.
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Doom is already mentioned 6 times before me in this thread. I guess "Apple is doomed" is becoming the new "Safari is snappier", and making fun of "Apple is doomed" is becoming the new making fun of "Safari is snappier". If that makes sense (maybe not — I may have even confused myself there. ;))
 
Kwill

Kwill

macrumors 68000
Mar 10, 2003
1,595
1
Apple is swimming in money. Even the life rafts are made of dough.
 
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