Consider this a headline I never would have expected 10 years ago. As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve used Apple products exclusively over the last decade, and it’s been an intriguing journey to say the least. But according to CNN, Apple is now the world’s most valuable tech company. While that fact in and of itself is quite astonishing, consider this: it’s very possible that Apple’s quarterly sales are poised to top Microsoft’s.

It boggles my mind that this tremendous success is still occurring in spite of the recent difficulties with Apple’s iPhone 4 making headlines all over the place. In spite of the admittedly brilliant technology of these new phones, it’s quite apparent that the blogosphere, anyway, accentuates the bad. But I suppose, this is one of those examples where negative PR in no way impacts sales. People want what they want, and once the masses have decided it’s out of our hands.

Sure, Apple computers themselves still don’t have the market share of PCs in general. But from a company standpoint that hardly seems to matter. According to CNN, Apple is expecting to hit the $18bn mark by September 30, which will be the company’s best quarter to date. But, as the article is quick to point out, the numbers no longer accurately reflect the aims of the companies.

From CNN:

“The media loves to tell this story, but I don’t think it’s a particularly relevant comparison,” said Barry Jaruzelski, management consultant at Booz & Co. “In the past seven or eight years, Apple went from a computer company to a cutting-edge consumer electronics business, and Microsoft is a platform software business.”

While there is a great deal of Apple criticism, and I admit to having participated in quite a bit of it myself, you can’t dispute the forward thinking executives’ approach. Since the iPhone’s release, Apple has simply dominated the market. We keep talking about iPhone killers but the truth is that Apple tapped in to something consumers didn’t even know they needed, and made it absolutely essential. It’s that perfect synthesis of status symbol and technology.

And while I do approach the future with quite a bit of trepidation, I do wonder… what will Apple do next?

[Image: CNN]

Tags: Apple, Gadgets, iphone 4, Microsoft, Technology