Apple Sixth Most Valuable Global Brand

Apple is sixth in the latest prestigious BrandZ ranking of the 100 most valuable global brands prepared by Millward Brown. This is one place higher than a year ago. The value of Apple brand has been up from USD 55 to 63 billion.

Like a year ago Google heads the ranking. The brand value of the most popular web browser in the world has crossed the psychological threshold of 100 billion dollars. Microsoft is up one place to number two. The Redmond-based company managed to increase its value by 8%. New technology brands (including mobile telephony) dominate the top ten of this year's ranking. Big loosers (not only of the 2009 ranking) are the brands of Western financial institutions.

BrandZ is one of a few globally recognisable rankings of brands whose results are acknowledged by top publicists and market analyst all over the world. Apple has been present in the ranking's top ten (top 7 actually) for two years in a row trailing only two other giants of new technologies - Microsoft and IBM. The fact is, however, that Apple isn't a market leader on any - apart from portable multimedia players - most important sectors of the new technology market. It supplies only 3% of the global PC market and just a tiny 1% in mobile telephony. Despite this Steve Jobs's company brand is worth more than bigger market players.

The picture comes from the Polish daily "Rzeczpospolita".