Apple’s critics have been hard on the company lately, criticizing it for failing to come out with any innovative products since the death of founder Steve Jobs. But a recent feature story by Entrepreneur provides evidence that the critics’ ire might be misplaced. According to the story, Boston Consulting Group recently ranked Apple first on its annual list of the most innovative companies. This is the ninth straight year that Apple has nabbed this honor.
A competitive world?
According to Entrepreneur, Apple’s biggest rival today, Samsung, came in number two on the list. Yet another tech giant, Google, fell from second in 2012 to third this year. Samsung’s position is even more impressive considering that it ranked just 26th in last year’s survey by Boston Consulting Group.
It’s a tech world
Tech companies, not surprisingly, dominate the list. Along with Apple, Samsung and Google, other tech giants listed include Microsoft, in fourth place; IBM, in sixth place; Amazon, in seventh; and Sony, in 11th.
Apple and innovation
The list is an important one. As Entrepreneur notes in its story, the cliché “innovate or die” is a cliché for a reason: It’s true. The United States operates in an information economy. Those companies that aren’t consistently reinventing themselves and offering innovative new products will find it hard to succeed today.