Apple Now Worth $500 Billion, More Than Several Countries

We all know Apple is worth big bucks, but just how much is the electronics superpower worth? Would you believe it's worth more that Poland?

Yesterday, Apple's value topped $500 billion, making it the fifth company ever to achieve such a feat. The other four companies to exceed $500 billion are Exxon Mobile, Cisco, General Electric and Microsoft. Just two weeks ago, stocks in the company rose to over $500 a share for the first time. To put it in perspective, Apple is now worth more than the gross domestic product (GDP) of Poland, Belgium, or Sweden, to name a few.

This is all well and good for Apple, but there's still a big question that remains unanswered. Without CEO Steve Jobs at the helm, can Apple maintain the growth and innovation it's become so famous for? Think about it: everything that Apple's come out with, the iPod, iPhone, iPad, i-whatever, it all came form the mind of Jobs. We haven't really seen what new CEO Tim Cook can do as far as innovation goes.

In the meantime, however, Apple should take pride in the fact that it's now worth more than some small, European countries.