[potatolicious]

Some of those companies are failing (e.g, NYT), some are commodity suppliers highly subject to market fluctuations (e.g., Du Pont), and others are locked in eternal marketing struggle in a highly-competitive and arguably saturated marketplace (e.g., Burger King, Abercrombie & Fitch).

Not saying that Apple's valuation is correct, but there is a certain attraction to the company: it sells premium, high-margin products that have proven their ability to withstand general economic malaise, are non-commoditized, not easily substitutable goods, and have few realistic competitors (the MacBook Pro sits almost unchallenged in the premium laptop market, the iPhone is - for now - at the top of the smartphone game, etc).