iPod propels Apple to top of BusinessWeek top 50 list

Apple has taken the top spot on this year’s BusinessWeek 50 list, which ranks the best performing companies of 2006. “All those little white earbuds are a bona fide cultural phenomenon—and serious business for Apple. Booming sales of its iPod music players have propelled the Cupertino (Calif.) icon to the top of our list of the best corporate performers,” says BusinessWeek. “Apple shows few signs of slowing down. Of the 42 million iPods sold since the line was introduced five years ago, 32 million were sold in 2005, including 14 million in a killer Christmas quarter. Apple’s profits leapt 216% in 2005 on a 66% jump in sales. Investors are still bullish, not only for what Steve Jobs has done, but also for what lies ahead.”