Forbes has ranked the top and well known brands of the world. Apple got the first position and its brand value is estimated at $57.4 billion while Microsoft ranks a close second at $56 billion. Google ended up 5th on the list with a brand value in the range of $40 billion. Nearly 30% of the top brands come from technology field.

The brand positioning reflects rapid strides made by Apple in reaching out to the normal consumer and tapping the generic market to establish its brand. While it has always been a distant second when it comes to PC market, that has been dominated by Microsoft, the iphone has established Apple as the brand of the future.

With the mobile applications and mobile commerce gaining massive strength in the last couple of years, it remains to be seen how Microsoft and Google will try to bridge the gap.

For now, iPhone has provided just the right impetus for Apple to consolidate and emerge a winner for long time to come.