14 DAY TRIAL // Apple's stock has been going from all-time closing high to all-time closing high for weeks, and it is not showing signs of stopping. After passing the $120 per share and a market value of $100 billion for the first time in company history, the company is now being added to the Standard & Poor's S&P 100 index (OEX) of big blue-chip companies.
Apple will be replacing MedImmune Inc. due to MedImmune's pending acquisition by AstraZeneca. Of the companies in the S&P 500, the 100 which have the largest market capitalization make up the S&P 100. Standard & Poor's, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, is the world's foremost provider of financial market intelligence, including independent credit ratings, indices, risk evaluation, investment research and data. With approximately 7,500 employees, including wholly owned affiliates, located in 21 countries, Standard & Poor's is an essential part of the world's financial infrastructure and has played a leading role for more than 140 years in providing investors with the independent benchmarks they need to feel more confident about their investment and financial decisions.
With the iPhone release creeping closer and closer, WWDC around the corner, Apple is looking at a lot of things that can go its way. If the iPhone meets the people's expectations, and the Top Secret Feature in Leopard turn out to be worth the wait, Apple's stock will keep climbing and climbing. And this is just what we know is coming. Knowing Apple, there are bound to be more surprises along the way, not to mention inevitable improvements to existing products. The Mac line is bound to get improvements, as is the iPod line. If Apple delivers an iPhone without a phone as the next generation of iPods, it is looking at huge sales since everyone will want one, even people who were previously reluctant to jump on the iPod bandwagon.