A recent survey conducted by poll by online magazine brandchannel.com has revealed the following: Apple is the most inspiring brand; Apple is the one brand that nearly 2,000 professionals and students (the surveyed folks of course) can't live without. Now that's what I like to hear!

Sure, Macs can be hacked just as easy as your usual PC, sure Apple products sport a lot of common features with other electronics, but is there at least one manufacturer out there that constantly surprises its userbase? Not really. That's why Apple "triumphed in six categories including most inspiring brand and the one readers cannot live without," according to Reuters on Monday.

"Apple has clearly captured the hearts and minds by leading across most categories. Others, such as the USA nation brand, which ranks highly as most in need of a rebrand, requires help according to our readers," said brandchannel.com editor Jim Thompson.

As you can see, readers have compared other high-ranking companies to Apple, saying they are in need of a "rebrand." Why is that? Because Apple is constantly innovating, setting the standards for pretty much everything from personal computers to mobile phones and portable media players.

If someone was to come up with a really innovating product, like a new handset that sports touchscreen, accelerometers and, above all, an advanced brainwave control, backed up by a clean interface, that someone is most likely going to be Apple. Ask anyone who's had a go with Macs or an iPod and they'll tell you that the next best thing is always Apple-made.

It's just the way it is, Apple is on a roll now, and competition might as well just live with it. Even if other companies try to live up to the standards that Apple is setting, the Cupertino-based giant is always going to be one step ahead of its rivals, not to mention having every major hardware manufacturer on its side. The ball is in their court now.