Bad News: Apple Is the Most Profitable Company in History

Mike Beasley, 9to5 Mac:

Apple today posted its earnings for the final quarter of 2012, which was “disappointingly” the largest corporate earnings year in human history by a tidy margin, causing many investors to panic as Apple clearly circles the drain in what will be the first step in a short road to the demise of the most valuable company in the world (If Exxon hasn’t indeed surpassed it tomorrow morning).

Apple’s 13.1B in earnings this quarter was the 4th largest of all time according to the same metric.

Exxon previously held the top three spots for annual profit. So, to reiterate, Apple just reported the most profitable year of any company ever, the fourth-most profitable quarter of any company ever, and the stock tanked after hours.

★ Wednesday, 23 January 2013