For a brief period Thursday afternoon, Apple Inc.’s $267.5B market value made it the second-biggest company in the world, behind Exxon Mobil but ahead of PetroChina. Sadly, by the end of the day, PetroChina had reclaimed the #2 spot, but not by much. Apple’s “We’re #2” bragging rights may have been fleeting, but for a company that flirted dangerously close to irrelevance and/or bankruptcy during most of the 1990’s, it’s quite the accomplishment.
While Apple’s been on an undeniable roll for the last decade with the iPod, iPhone and iPad, there are some analysts who aren’t as bullish on the company rulling the mobile roost forever. They point to the fact that the number of smartphones running Google’s Android OS rose 5% over the last quarter, compared to a drop of 1% experienced by Apple during the same period.
This is good news for the online gaming industry, because with Android nipping at its heels, Apple can’t afford to maintain their anti-gambling stance on products available via the App Store. Sure enough, just in the past month, we’ve seen companies like Betfair and NetPlay slip betting apps past Apple’s censors, and many more are ready to exploit these lowered defenses. Bottom line, it’s further proof that competition is a good thing.
