The Big Apple Takes on New Meaning

Moving like an oil slick in the corporate pool, Apple is poised to slide past oil giant Exxon Mobil as the most valuable company in the world, according to reports.

It’s already worth more than the combined value of Mountain View’s Google ($199 billion) and Walmart ($187 billion), according to one report, and Bloomberg News figures Apple has already topped the combined value of Microsoft ($235 billion) and Intel Corp. ($122 billion).

Since we’re talking numbers, Bloomberg reports that Apple’s market capitalization is about $374 billion, which is still a ways from Exxon’s $416 billion value, but analysts reckon all Apple has to do to take a byte out of Exxon is to release a new iPhone or iPad and increase sales in China.

And with Apple’s recent announcement of a record-setting quarter—and sales of more than 20 million iPhones and 9.25 million more iPads—it’s conceivable the Cupertino-based company’s pie is about to sweeten.