A new report from Brand Finance, a London-based consulting company, indicates that Google's brand value has risen 9 percent to hold the top spot with a value of over $48 billion. Apple, however has vaulted up 39 percent over the same period to grab the number two spot with a value of over $39 billion.
According to the report, this places Apple ahead of Microsoft, IBM, Wal-Mart, and General Electric for the first time -- ever.
Brand Finance claims they are the world’s leading brand valuation consultancy. They use a discounted cash flow method to arrive at a net value of a company's trademark and associated intellectual property. Obviously, this valuation is a fluid number; other companies using different methodology have arrived at wildly different numbers.
The report also indicates that the value of the world's top brands has fallen since January of this year, with the reputations of financial institutions like Wells Fargo and Bank of America pulling down the group as a whole.
Via CNNMoney
Adrian covers daily news as well as the weekly Law & Apple column for MacLife.com. You can follow him on Twitter, if you want to.
