Apple and the iPhone

1. Apple (+40%) vs. S&P 500 (-40%) over the last two years (see chart above).

2. Market Capitalization: Microsoft vs. Apple 1990-2009 (see chart above), via Scott Grannis, who writes, "As recently as a little over 9 years ago Microsoft had a market cap of $586 billion, while Apple's was a mere $17 billion. MSFT investors have since lost $421 billion, while AAPL investors have gained $95 billion. In my first post on this subject last October, I suggested AAPL could surpass MSFT's market cap within a few years. One reader said it would happen in less than a year. He has a good chance of being right."

3. Of the major companies that announced their earnings yesterday, two of them, AT&T and Apple, beat Wall Street estimates largely thanks to a single product: The iPhone. We’re approaching the two year birthday of the device, and it still remains one of the hottest items out there. Ladies and gentleman, the state of the iPhone is strong.

All told, Apple has sold 21 million iPhones since its launch. Perhaps just a drop in the bucket compared to overall Nokia sales, but remember, Apple was not in the mobile business at all before 2007. And aside from just sales figures, in the past two years, it has revolutionized the industry. That is, of course, a cliche. But in this case, it’s true.

Apple’s already has over 35,000 apps — and in a few short hours, there will have been one billion apps downloaded in just 9 months (including the one below).

Source: TechCrunch

4.iPhone app:

#4 via Economix and Greg Mankiw.