Apple has become the largest company in the world. Only at the moment

During yesterday's trading on the New York Stock Exchange, Apple has for some time been able to circumvent the cap on the volume of oil giant Exxon Mobil and become the largest company in the world . Analysts called it a landmark event is because it signals that the old market system has come to an end. According to experts, yesterday held a victory for the new economy, based on computer technology over the traditional business, whose representatives are energy companies and banks.

Although before closing again Apple has moved into second place, market observers noted that the return to the top position of the company that transformed the smartphone market and created a market from scratch plates, is only a matter of time.

Last Tuesday, the volume of the market capitalization of California-based company rose to 341.5 billion dollars after an extremely stressful midday trading, leaving Exxon with its 341.4 billion U.S. dollars. And despite the fact that the annual revenues of the energy giant is four times greater than the same period Apple. Due to the persistence of volatility in shares of companies (due to the instability of the economic situation and the lowering of the credit rating of the United States) over time quotes Apple dropped and Exxon has won back his losses. As a result of the close of trading on the capitalization of Exxon was 348.3 billion as against $ 346.7 billion from Apple.

The prospect of change, "the king of mountains", according to many analysts, is highly symbolic, reflecting the fact that the technology industry in recent years has increasingly strong influence on the American economy.

"Technology - is that today people have started to understand - said a senior market analyst at Banyan Partners Robert Pavlik (Robert Pavlik). - At some point, it was radio, and even earlier - the train. And I think it's indicative of our society "

Yesterday's Apple ascent to Olympus, from which she managed for a time to push the company Exxon Mobil, for more than five years, holding leadership is even more impressive when you consider that fourteen years ago Apple was on the brink. That's when she came back, Steve Jobs, to breathe new life into the company and set the vector of development, which proved most successful in all of corporate America's history. But thirteen years ago, some skeptical analysts determine the value of Apple, based only on the price of land, which are company-owned building.

Apple has (albeit briefly) to join the group of nine companies that hold leading positions in the ranking of S & P 500. These include such large corporations as General Electric Co, General Motors, IBM Corp, Microsoft Corp and AT & T Inc, DuPont, Philip Morris Cos, and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. These data tell analysts that follow the index Standard & Poor's. If at the close of trading Apple managed to get around in terms of market capitalization of Exxon Mobil, it officially became the tenth member to the group. This was stated by Howard Silverblatt (Howard Silverblatt), principal analyst at S & P Indices. He also recalled that a decade ago, the company from Silicon Valley for the first time included in the S & P 500 in 1982, ranked only 287 in the ranking of the place. In this context, the success of the company is still stunning.

As for Exxon Mobil, the company that headed the list of largest U.S. corporations in 2006, when prices for oil and gas prices have jumped up. And when the lion's share of the U.S. economy accounted for the heavy equipment, energy, military contracts and the financial sector, on top of the rankings was a corporation General Electric. Auto giant General Motors, went bankrupt in 2009, returned to the stock exchange, having re-IPO. And earlier, when the production cars was the main Industrial proud U.S., this company was the largest in the country and the world.

According to analysts, Apple's success lies in the fact that she was able to successfully ride the "mobile" wave that has swept in recent years, consumer markets worldwide. After the return of Steve Jobs' company has released several products that have become classics and set new standards in the industry. These include computer iMac, player iPod, smartphone iPhone, as well as tablet iPad, which could single-handedly and almost from scratch to create a market for tablet PCs.

Currently, Apple's stock just have to be in the long-term portfolio of every self-respecting investor, since it is obvious that as the rapid spread of popularity of the company products around the world will necessarily strengthen the position of its securities on the stock market.

From 1 July this year, Apple's market capitalization grew by more than 20 billion dollars due to expectations that the new model of the cult of the iPhone will provide a stunning volume of sales in the second half of 2011. At the same time, the total value of shares of Exxon Mobil in the same period fell by about 50 billion dollars due to price volatility in the oil market.

The only thing that worries analysts and investors on Wall Street, it is uncertainty about the health of the unchallenged leader of Apple Steve Jobs. Many fear that if for some reason, he will be forced to leave office without him the company would have an entirely different and perhaps not so successful. Others express concern about the growing popularity of smartphones and tablets based on the developed mobile platform from Google Android.

It is worth noting that two of today's leading rating totally relate differently to their investors. While Exxon pays a dividend on a quarterly basis, the shareholders of Apple last dividend received in November 1995. Thus, during this time Apple was able to gain "fat" in the form of more than $ 70 billion of free cash flow. Many analysts expect that this money is going to put Steve Jobs in a loud and regular large-scale project. Only shareholders of the minimum feed the hope that at least a small portion of these funds perepadet to them as dividends.

New evidence against Google's willful violation of rights of use of Java and Oracle

At the main competitor to Apple in the mobile platforms serious problems - found new critical evidence of guilt Google intentionally unlawful use of Java technology in the development of Android. In addition to the risk of losing the case, Google could face difficulties protecting patents from charges Android Apple and other competitors.

According to Florian Mueller (Florian Mueller) from FOSS Patents, evidence was obtained from the two emails, one of them is sent to the head of Andy Rubin, Google (Andy Rubin), the principal founder of the project Android, who later became a popular mobile platform Google.

At first Rubin (Rubin) came up with Danger - PDA with a mobile platform based on Java, then he started to work on Android (before he became part of Google) - and the Android platform has not been entirely based on Java, and was a modified version of software is modified enough to make Google free of patent claims Sun and paying any licensing fees.

Andy Rubin (Andy Rubin) - the openness of

Even back in 2005, before the release of Android, Rubin (Rubin) wrote:

"If the Sun refuses to work with us, we will have to choose: 1) abandon our findings and move to the use of languages ​​MSFT CLR VM and C #; 2) in spite of all use Java, and be prepared to defend its decision against its enemies, which may occur on our way ".

Referring to this letter, Müller (Mueller) notes the view of the judges on this subject:

«Google judged simply and unceremoniously, preferring to risk the possible start of litigation than fair to pay for licensing Java».

In a letter to Rubin (Rubin) clearly says that Android team is fully aware of the size of attachments to the platform on Java-based resources and effort, and believes that this was too much to move now to the alternative language proposed by Microsoft. However, Google does not agree to pay for the licensing of Sun Java, and, judging by the comments Rubin (Rubin), his company is going to just keep working and wait for developments, inviting the "enemies" to give adequate legal battle.

We need licensing negotiations Java»

A second email was written almost five after the first-mentioned, it is known as "draft Lindholm (Lindholm)». Here is a quote from the letter:

"So, what we really were invited to do [the founders of Google] Larry Page (Larry Page) and Sergey Brin (Sergey Brin), a study of alternatives to Java for Android and Chrome. We went through a lot of options, but none we could not find suitable. As a result, we believe that we must begin negotiations on licensing of Java on favorable terms to us. "

In response to this letter, the judge Elsap (Alsup), according to Florian (Florian), stated that

"Good counsel from Oracle will need this document (the draft of the letter) and the Magna Carta, to win the case and found that Google intentionally violates the rights of Oracle».

Google also has publicly accused the Oracle (the company that now owns the patent rights of Sun's Java), as well as Apple and Microsoft, «in the conduct of deliberate hostile campaign against the Android ... using bogus patents," without saying a word about whether the creators of Android by law to license the use of Java, or will they continue to deliberately refuse to do so.

Google tried to make this letter did not appear in the case against Oracle, claiming that the message Lindholm (Lindholm) is protected by law secret (the right to counsel not to disclose information received from the client). But the judge Elsap (Alsup) requirement rejected Google, noting that this "is not a full draft by e-mail," and that he had no one was sent. Then there was detailed in a Bloomberg article on the subject, and when Bloomberg asked for comments on Google, a company spokesman Kathleen Todhunter - Gerberg (Katelin Todhunter-Gerberg) said the refusal to comment on this question.

If Google would be guilty of a willful violation, Apple and others will be easier to sue him for Android

We can assume that Oracle is unlikely to get from Google's $ 2.6 billion in compensation for damages for unlawful use of Java in Android, and total control is likely to be reduced to the possibility of a settlement in principle, not to prove guilt Google Android for the use of Java .

The consequences of the settlement will be far more serious than paying royalties Android company Oracle, which, like Microsoft, is now far behind Google in terms of popularity of mobile platforms on the background of Android, located in the public domain. As the first of all developed mobile platform, Oracle Java (which is still licensed by Nokia Symbian and RIM BlackBerry) was in third place after the Android (on all producers devaysov total) and Apple iOS.

The judge, a leading cause Oracle, the plaintiff asked to rewrite the action in the damage to a portion thereof. But the argument about the independence of the Google of its revenues from advertising to business of Oracle and the calculation of the amount of damages the court disagreed. Instead, the judge accepted the arguments of Oracle's "theory of network effects" and said that Oracle may, in its assessment of damages to take into account some of the activities of the defendant in the U.S., non-mobile business.

Outcome of cases with guilty pleas Google's use of Java enables Oracle to punish the defendant three times. First, Oracle itself will receive its compensation, and secondly, competitors, Apple and Microsoft in particular, it will be easier to deal with search engine to prove infringement of its patent rights by the defendant, who had already been found guilty of willful violation of intellectual property, and, third, Android licensees also have the potential to fall under the same legal fire.

A few more reasons for headaches Google

Huge profits from the Internet - will allow Google ads without much effort to repay the court costs and to pay such compensation, but Android licensees may want to stop using "open" Google's software because of legal liability, which is fraught with such use.

Because Google itself to avoid any royalties, Microsoft and Oracle, then the licensees may fail to see Android in the use of Google mobile platform version of Linux / Java / Flash any advantage. Then it is logical to assume that they decide to do a better design your own unique software, as is already done Samsung (working with Bada), as HP's webOS, such as Nokia, in collaboration with Microsoft, and Motorola as its Linux.

Market introduction of many different mobile platforms will be on hand to Apple, which always showed the best results in a competitive market struggle than the struggle with one big monopoly platform. In addition, the legal dispute resolved against the Android, the platform will provide a great advantage alliance Nokia and Microsoft, as well as strengthen the position of Oracle with its JavaME. But, of course, the impact of Android in the first place, will open huge opportunities for Apple, which has now gone far ahead of Nokia, RIM, HP / Palm, and Microsoft.

A similar situation occurred with BSD Unix in the early 1990s - tyh, while the legal issues have helped Linux to get ahead - this platform has a good head start before the BSD, which for several years, nearly forgotten, and only in the last 5 years, Apple, entrenched in the electronics market itself, BSD Unix back in popularity.

The date of the final trial of Oracle against Google is scheduled on October 31, the companies still have time to negotiate. But it is doubtful whether Oracle wants to surrender and to reduce the amount of compensation to claim. In addition, Oracle may continue the judicial struggle with Google to solve ITC, and to ban imports of U.S. mobile devices based on Android, which will be further development in the mobile market, Google devastating.

Apple has been fined almost $ 3000 for a mobile surveillance

According to The Associated Press, The Korean Communications Commission (Korean Communications Commission - KCC) today announced that it has awarded Apple a fine of 3 million Korean won, or $ 2830 for "illegal" gathering data about the location of users iPhone.

Apple through their actions on collecting radar data violates existing laws of Korea, and so companies have to pay a designated fine. Previously, the company has kupertinovskoy had to pay financial penalties of $ 1 million won, or $ 946, according to lawsuit filed by an individual user iPhone.

Fact gathering information about the location of the iPhone has attracted attention in this April, when two security experts found in iOS 4 hidden file stored on the database location of users. Apple commented on the situation in a week, explaining that the file is actually a "database of hotspots Wi-Fi and cellular towers near your current location User" and the purpose of collecting such information - provision of determining the location faster than they can modern technology to make GPS. In its official statement, Apple has assured its users that does not track the location of the iPhone, and tries to provide better service.

Then, Apple quickly released an update fixes the error accumulation of radar data for the period longer than is necessary. IOS 4.3.3 update was released in early May, and reduced the size of the file to the database, it excluded the backup feature in iTunes and added the ability to disable the collection of radar data is completely shutdown options Location Services.

In response to the decision of the Democratic committee to impose a fine in connection Apple representative in Seoul, Steve Park (Steve Park) confirmed earlier voiced his company's position that there is no intention to keep track of their users. South Korea is actively responds to events associated with the use of different methods of location tracking mobile users. In May, police have even resorted to a search of offices Google, checking out the illegal collection of personal data of users.