Apple, Incredibly, Could Still Mushroom
Apple (AAPL), being among the U.S. stock market's top names in market capitalization, triggers an obvious question for buyers: How large can the company become? The other leaders, such as General Electric (GE), Exxon Mobil (XOM) and so forth, are considered "slow growers." At best, they can advance at 5% to 10% a year, tops, and are unlikely to outpace economic growth. With Tuesday night's blowout quarter at Apple, investors are happy -- but they're also asking whether the company is about to bump up against the law of large number.
Although Apple has grown into the dominant position in consumer electronics, and is surging in computers, the average Joe does not quite comprehend how small Apple still is relative to the markets it's addressing. Apple sells into three established markets: mobile phones, computers and consumer electronics (i.e., the iPod). I put the iPad in a separate category, since that is a new market with unknown ultimate size. Take a look at Apple's market share:...376 more words left in this article. To read them, just click below and try Real Money FREE for 14 days.
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