9-May-2011

According to a new study by global brands agency Millward Brown, Apple is the world's most valuable brand followed by Google. This means an end of a 4-year reign by the Internet search leader.

Apple, previously known as Apple Computer, Inc., is an American multinational corporation which designs and markets consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers. The company is best-known for hardware products include the Macintosh line of computers, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad as well as for software which includes the Mac OS X operating system.

Apple is also the world's most valuable technology company, surpassing Microsoft. The iPhone and iPad maker's brand is now worth $153 billion, almost half of Apple's market capitalization.

According to Peter Walshe, global brands director of Millward Brown, "Apple's meticulous attention to detail, along with an increasing presence of its gadgets in corporate environments, have allowed it to behave differently from other consumer-electronics makers".

The top 10 brands of BrandZ study comprises of Google, IBM, McDonald, Microsoft, Coca-Cola, AT&T, Marlboro, China Mobile and General Electric respectively.

Toyota still retains its position as the world's most valuable car brand, numbered at 27.

Of the top 100 brands, 19 are from emerging markets, as compared to 13 last year.

Facebook is at number 35 with a brand valued at $19.1 billion, while Chinese search engine Baidu is at 29.

Source: Millward Brown Optimor (including data from BrandZ, Kantar Worldpanel and Bloomberg)

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