蘋果

2012年排名： 8

連續上榜時間：6年

????隨著2011年新CEO的任命，所有的眼睛都在盯著蘋果公司（Apple）。這家總部位于加州庫比蒂諾的跨國公司2007年首次上榜，排名第6。此后，它一直保持在前40位以內。2012年排名第8。

????蘋果的高增長源于革命性的產品。消費者對iPad和 iPhone的需求培育了一個應用軟件下載市場，既幫助用戶實現從購物到玩游戲的各種任務，又反過來拉動了消費者對蘋果產品的需求。2011日歷年，蘋果實現銷售額1, 278億美元，與美國最大的科技公司惠普（Hewlett-Packard）不相上下。

????蘋果的競爭對手、韓國智能手機制造商三星（Samsung）正在迅速趕上，但風向可能很快就掉頭。2012年9月，加州一個陪審團裁定，三星侵犯了蘋果智能手機專利。隨著三星可能有8款手機在美禁售并面臨高額罰款，三星可能面臨壓力，需要全面調整手機生產。

Apple

2012 Fastest-Growing rank: 8

Years on list: 6

????With the naming of a new CEO mid-year 2011, all eyes have been on Apple. The Cupertino, CA-based multinational debuted on this list at no. 6 in 2007, and has continued to hold a place above no. 40 each year. For 2012, landed the no. 8 spot.

????Apple has gained from its blockbuster products. Demand for iPads and iPhones has spawned a market for downloadable apps that let users handle various tasks from shopping to playing games. And in turn, apps have fed consumers' demand for Apple's products. The company had $127.8 billion in sales during the 2011 calendar year, putting it neck-and-neck with Hewlett-Packard, the nation's largest tech company.

????Competitor Samsung has quickly caught up, but the tide could turn just as quickly for the South Korean smartphone maker. In September 2012, a California jury ruled Samsung infringed Apple mobile phone patents. This puts pressure on Samsung to overhaul how it makes handsets, as the company faces the prospects of a ban on eight phones in the U.S. and hefty fines.