What's the Apple computer company actually worth?

Post by **Buzz Bumble** » Sun Aug 05, 2012 1:45 am

This is from my latest MacFormat computer magazine ...

What's Apple actually worth?
619 billion US dollars sounds like a lot, but what can it get you in the real world? The short answer appears to be ... everything.

Once you get beyond a certain amount of money, the numbers become so big that they're mind-boggling: Apple's US$619 billion valuation (NZ$756 billion approx.) means it's worth more than every single publicly traded company in Spain, Portugal, and Greece combined. Even Apple's bank account has the best part of US$100 billion (NZ$122 billion) in it, as as The Guardian reports, that's enough to pay for the entire UK education system and still have enough left over for some Ferraris and fancy yachts.

The only way to really appreciate the incredible size of Apple's market valuation is to work out what else you could buy with the same money. Never mind posh holidays, the odd day out, and a new sportscar: we're talking buying entire countries, funding the Olympics, and buying a luxury limousine for every day of the week. So what does 619 billions get you?

374 million ounces of gold

343 Dallas Cowboys (Forbes valuation)

4,952 really nice Greek islands (based on US$125 million asking price for Patroklos)

73 London Olympics (based on official budget)

123,800 Hubolt watches (US$5 million apiece)

2.14 Greeces (based on current debt of US$269 billion)

364 Space Shuttles

1,049 private yachts with missile defence (M/Y Eclipse, belonging to Roman Abramovich)

1,238 Emirates Palace Hotels, Abu Dhabi

3.1 Googles

389,000 Bugatti Veyron supercars

6,190 Mona Lisas

1,547 RMS Titanics (at today's prices)

5 billion barrels of oil

884 billion iTunes tracks

257 Manchester Uniteds (Forbes valuation)

2.4 Microsofts

364 New York Yankees (Frobes valuation)

1,358 Fraken-celebs, each made from:

Rihanna's legs (insured for US$1 million)

Dolly Parton's chest (insured for US$3.8 million)

Tom Jones' chest hair (insured for US$7 million)

Keith Richards' hands (insured for US$1.6 million)

Bruce Springsteen's voice (insured for US$31.2 million)

Michael Flatley's feet (insured for US$40 million)

David Beckham's legs (insured for US$70 million)

and J-Lo's behind (insured for US$300 million)
4 Greggs sausage rolls for EVERY man, woman, and child on Earth EVERY weekday for a month