Most Innovative IT Companies: For tech companies, there is nothing better than being named one of the most innovative in the world. As you can imagine, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Google Inc (NASDA:GOOG) are always near or at the top of these lists.
Recently, the Boston Consulting Group released its “The Most Innovative Companies 2012” report. For more information on the list and how it is compiled, visit this page.
Here is a brief excerpt to give you a better idea of what the list is all about:
“In a turbulent economic environment, innovation is an important driver of the organic growth necessary to generate sustained, above-average returns. To explore the state of innovation, The Boston Consulting Group has fielded annual innovation surveys since 2004. These surveys of more than 1,500 senior executives allow comparisons over time as well as across regions and industries. They capture executives’ views of their own innovation plans and also their opinions of other companies’ innovation track records.”
“Among the many indicators of the current and future robustness of the innovation environment, two of the most critical include the relative priority of innovation and the outlook for increased innovation spending over the coming year. This year’s survey finds these two metrics at their highest levels in more than five years.”
“Our survey reveals the 50 companies that executives ranked as the most innovative, weighted to incorporate relative three-year shareholder returns, revenue growth, and margin growth.”
Just the same as the last survey from the Boston Consulting Group in 2010, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) are at the top. Of course, they are joined by many other “big brands” such as Amazon and Ford.
The question is: do Apple and Google truly deserve to be at the front of the pack? A recent piece on Forbes.com attempts to answer this question. Here are a few arguments that are presented:
“Apple is in many aspects a very old fashioned company. Think back to the 1990s when consumer electronics companies tended to launch an innovative product with a high price to tempt the early adopters and then, generally, reduce the price to soak up a wider market (sometimes stripping out a few features).”
“A little over a year ago perceptions of Google had slipped. Web opinion no longer perceived Google as such an innovative company. Then it made more of its driver-less car technology and augmented reality (Google glasses) and we started to sit up and listen to Google once more.”
There is no doubt that this survey is anything but an exact science. What it does show us is this: the way high level executives perceive innovation may not be the same as “ordinary” people.
What are your thoughts on this? Do you agree with the Boston Consulting Group survey stating that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) are among the most innovative companies in the world?
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DISCLOSURE: I have no positions in any stock mentioned.
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