Apple has overtaken Google as the "world's most valuable brand".
In calculations that combined consumer perception and financial data to estimate the value of the top 100 brands, research company Millward Brown found that Apple's worth had almost doubled in the past year, with an 84 percent boost in brand value.
According to the annual Brandz survey, the Apple empire has increased in value by 859% since 2006 and now stands at $US153.3 billion ($A142 billion) – pushing Google off the top spot it had held for the past four years.
The search company is now worth $US111 billion after dropping 2 percent in the rankings, unable to match Apple's ability to sell products at a high mark-up.
“Our brand valuations are a powerful measure of an organisation’s ability to create real and lasting value for shareholders,” said Eileen Campbell, chief executive officer of brand research company Millward Brown.
“By nurturing its brand and constantly innovating, Apple is able to command a high price premium and weather economic turbulence, providing a global business success story that other brands can learn from.”
In all, technology companies accounted for four of the top five names, with IBM third and Microsoft fifth, just behind McDonald's. A third of the top 100 brands were tech-related.
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