Thaindian News

London, May 9 (IANS) Apple has overtaken Google as the world’s most valuable brand, ending a four-year reign by the internet search leader.

The iPhone and iPad maker’s brand is now worth $153 billion (&pound93bn;), almost half Apple’s market capitalisation, the annual BrandZ study of the world’s top 100 brands says.

Apple’s portfolio of coveted consumer goods propelled it past Microsoft to become the world’s most valuable technology company last year, the Telegraph reports.

Peter Walshe, global brands director of Millward Brown, which conducted the study, said Apple’s meticulous attention to detail, along with an increasing presence of its gadgets in corporate environments, have allowed it to behave differently from other consumer-electronics makers.

“Apple is breaking the rules in terms of its pricing model,” he said. “It’s doing what luxury brands do, where the higher priced the brand is, the more it seems to underpin and reinforce the desire.”

“Obviously, it has to be allied to great products and a great experience, and Apple has nurtured that.”

Of the top 10 brands in the report, six were technology and telecoms companies: Google at number two, IBM at three, Microsoft at five, AT&T; at seven and China Mobile at nine.

McDonald’s rose two places to number four, as fast food became the fastest-growing category, Coca-Cola slipped one place to number six, Marlboro was also down one to number eight, and General Electric was number 10.

Facebook entered the top 100 at number 35 with a brand valued at $19.1 billion, while Chinese search engine Baidu rose to number 29 from 46, the report says.

Toyota reclaimed its position as the world’s most valuable car brand, as it recovered from a bungled 2010 product recall.

The survey was carried out before the March earthquake that caused massive disruption to Japanese supply chains.