The Internet of Things (IoT) has increased demand for online business features. Consumers seek the latest and greatest in hardware, software and online technologies. Combined, these factors support the continued growth of already successful technology companies.
From infrastructure implementation to retail use, cloud usage serves as an opportunistic business line for technology companies. By 2017, enterprise cloud computing is expected to grow to a $250 billion industry. Each of the world’s top 10 technology companies has something to gain from entering the cloud computing market, and many of these companies are already offering cloud services to retail and enterprise customers.
Apple
Market value: $741.8 billion
In 2014, Apple, Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) introduced a programming language called Swift. In 2015, the company made Swift open-source, which allowed non-Apple developers to work on the project. Apple's fiscal results for the fourth quarter ending September 2015 revealed revenue of $51.5 billion, an increase of 22% from last year's fourth-quarter revenue of $42.1 billion. Record-breaking three-day sales of 13 million units of the company’s iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus were announced in October 2015.
Alphabet/ Google
Market value: $367.6 billion
In October 2015, Google restructured the company so that Alphabet, Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOGL) became the parent company under which Google operates. Alphabet owns all of Google's side projects, such as life-extension company Calico, innovative technology developer Google X, high-speed Internet provider Fiber and Google's smart home project Nest. Alphabet is also the owner of Google Venture, which invests in startups, and Google Capital, which invests in long-term projects. Sundar Pichai came on as the new chief executive officer (CEO) of Google, while Google co-founder Sergey Brin is set to become the president of Alphabet.
Microsoft
Market value: $340.8 billion
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) recently moved toward monthly payment plans for use of its Office software and changed its mission statement to reflect a desire to lead the way toward productivity. The company was founded in 1975 and launched Windows 3.0 in 1990. Device launches include the Surface 3 in May 2015 and the Windows Phone 7 in 2010. Microsoft employs close to 116,000 worldwide. Net revenue for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2015 was $93.58 billion, reflecting a growth of 8%, while net income was $12.19 billion.
Market value: $231.6 billion
Servicing a daily average of 1 billion users, Facebook, Inc. (NASDAQ: FB) has grown at an exponential rate since its February 2004 founding. Facebook's headquarters are located in Menlo Park, California. The company introduced live video for user profiles in December 2015. Facebook acquired photo-sharing platform Instagram in 2012 and announced plans to acquire messaging service WhatsApp for $16 billion in 2014. Facebook's partnership with other technology companies, Internet.org was launched in 2013 and offers free basic Internet services in Asia, Africa and Latin America. In 2015, Facebook.com usage increased by 17% from the previous year.
Samsung
Market value: $199.4.6 billion
Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (KSE: 005930.KS) was incorporated in 1969 and runs three divisions: consumer electronics, information technology and mobile communications, and device solutions. Samsung Group is headquartered in South Korea. The company set a goal to reach $400 billion in revenue. From the second quarter of 2015 to the third quarter, sales increased by 6.5%, while gross profit increased by 2.5%. Samsung's total assets have increased steadily over the past six years, from $294 billion in 2009 to $529 billion in 2015. In 2014, Samsung introduced the Galaxy S5 and the Samsung Gear devices to 125 countries.
Oracle
Market value: $187.6 billion
Oracle Corporation (NYSE: ORCL) is a computer hardware and software developer based in California. Oracle has made significant investments in the future of cloud computing; company spokespeople and press releases reflect the company's endeavors toward capturing cloud market share. To date, there are 420,000 Oracle customers worldwide. First-quarter results for the 2016 fiscal year showed that total revenue was down 2%.
Tencent
Market value: $181.1 billion
Tencent Holdings Limited (OTC: TCEHY) is an Internet service portal that was founded in China in 1998. Tencent owns and operates popular online platforms including email service QQ, messaging service WeChat, search engine Soso, auction site PaiPai and online payment provider Tenpay. Tencent's revenue from the third quarter of 2014 to 2015 has increased by 34%, while profit over the same period increased by 34%. In November 2015, Tencent purchased the online rights for the James Bond franchise in China from MGM. In September, Tencent completed a similar arrangement with Disney to acquire the online rights to the Star Wars series.
Intel
Market value: $147.2 billion
Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC) released an investor report stating that the IoT provided a market opportunity in five different segments: retail, transportation, energy, channel acceleration and smart homes. Cloud expansion is also an area of interest for Intel; in a statement, the company indicated that the use of the cloud was a means of modernization for companies. In November 2016, Intel disclosed that the improvements it had made to its Intel Scalable System Framework would spread high-performance computing to more industries. Intel will partner with telecommunications company America Movil to upgrade the phone service's network.
Cisco Systems
Market value: $139 billion
Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) recently celebrated its 30th anniversary. Cisco sees opportunities in the next wave of the Internet, which will serve as a market transition period. Cisco's 2015 revenue figures show growth of 4% for the year to a total of $49.2 billion. Like Microsoft, Cisco adopted a subscription-based software payment structure. The company also introduced its Cisco ONE Software bundles.
IBM
Market value: $160.2 billion
International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE: IBM) posted revenue of $92.8 billion in 2015 with operating earnings per share (EPS) of $16.53. IBM has partnered with Japanese phone services company SoftBank to offer a version of IBM's robot, Watson, to Japanese markets. IBM entered the field of genomic medicine and employs a team of scientists to lead research efforts in this field. The company offers a full line of cloud services to retail and business customers.
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