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Apple Just Became the Most Valuable Company In History (Update!)

Apple, as of this morning, is valued at $621 billion, thanks to a stock price that spiked at $663.10 per share (and that has risen this afternoon). That "finally beats Microsoft":http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/21/business/daily-stock-market-activity...

Update: I initially read a report that made no mention of whether Microsoft’s $619 billion mark was inflation-adjusted, and upon further reading it wasn’t. Apple still has the largest nominal valuation of any company ever, Microsoft’s peak was actually a mind-blowing $851 billion in 2012 dollars. So while Apple is still growing rapidly, it’s not the largest ever yet.

Apple, as of this morning, is valued at $621 billion, thanks to a stock price that spiked at $663.10 per share (and that has risen this afternoon). That finally beats Microsoft, who previously held the record for most valuable company in 1999 at $619 billion. Incredibly, Apple has almost doubled its valuation in the last year, when it topped out Exxon-Mobil for most valuable American company with a valuation of $346 billion.

It’s not the cleanest comparison, but to give you an idea of how much $621 billion actually is, only 23 countries had a GDP higher than that in 2011. So, basically, Apple alone is worth more than what 200+ countries in the world could produce in an entire year. Or, in other terms, that’s enough cash to film “Victory,” Puff and Biggy’s most expensive music video at $2.7 million, a whopping 230,000 times.

Follow Derek Mead on Twitter: @derektmead.