Apple Worth More Then Poland‏

http://money.cnn.com/2012/02/29/technology/apple_market_cap/

Apple's stock market value topped the $500 billion mark in pre-market trading Wednesday, another record high for what was already the world's most valuable company.

puts Apple in some extremely exclusive territory, making it one of the five most-valuable companies at any point in history.

Exxon did it most recently in late 2007, when oil prices were soaring. (That was based on a fraud)

Microsoft, Cisco and GE reached half a trillion dollars in market capitalization in 1999 during the height of the tech bubble. (That was make believe)

Microsoft was the only company ever to have a valuation of $600 billion. Its market cap now sits about $267 billion. (Try not to laugh)

Apple's valuation is now higher than the gross domestic product of Poland, Belgium, Sweden, Saudi Arabia, or Taiwan

Apple is still one of the fastest growing technology companies. The company reported in January that its sales grew 73% last year. It also posted the second-most profitable quarter in history for a U.S. company.

It was only a month ago that Apple's market valuation rose to $400 billion for the first time
Despite Apple's stunning rise in share price, the company's stock gains haven't even kept pace with its earnings. That means Apple's shares are relatively cheap.

This year, Apple is on pace to become the biggest technology company in the world, measured by revenue, outpacing current global No. 1 Samsung.

That's a pretty stunning achievement for a 35-year old company that had a market cap of just $10 billion a decade ago.