Defining a top brand isn't as simple as totting up a few figures. Brands are, as often as not, about innovation. They are about growth and the ability to adapt quickly.

When Forbes released its list of top brands a while ago, this is what it concentrated on. Instead of picking brands on the basis of recall -- in which case a company like Coke tops -- it went for those that beat their peers in earnings growth. Analysing figures over the last four years, this is what the magazine came up with.

Apple

California-based Apple Computer, Inc. has long made computer technologies its core business. The company helped initiate the PC revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II microcomputer, developed things further with the Macintosh, then changed the world with the iPod.

The original Apple logo was designed by current CEO Steve Jobs and Ron Wayne, and depicts Isaac Newton sitting under an apple tree. The design was soon replaced by what is now a world-famous logo - a rainbow-coloured apple with a bite taken out of it. It is among the globe's most recognised symbols, which probably explains why Forbes places it at the top of its 'valuable brands' list.

The Apple brand clocked 38% growth. Its brand value is $5.3 billion, with sales of $8.3 billion. A large chunk of its current earnings have come from its iTunes store, from where approximately 400 million songs have been purchased.

Text: Preetee Brahmbhatt
Design: Uday Kuckian
Photographs: AFP/Getty

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