New York Times: On Wednesday this week, for the first time in the two companies’ history, Apple Inc’s total value on NASDAQ overtook Microsoft Corp’s. Apple is now the world’s most valuable publicly traded tech company. Among US companies of any kind, only Exxon Mobil Corp is now worth more. Apple’s recent success is attributed to its introduction of a series of innovative consumer products, starting with the iPod (2001) and followed by the iPhone (2007) and iPad (2010). Microsoft, however, is currently more profitable than its rival.