Wired creates every year a top of the most important companies, in terms of vision, technologies and innovation. This year Google replaces Apple from the first position. Here are some interesting companies from the top:
"01. GOOGLE
2005 Rank: 02
Less cuddly but more profitable than ever, the monster from Mountain View has rivals but no peers. Is it a search engine? A media company? A software provider? Who cares? Microsoft, for one. Get ready for the grudge match of the decade.
02. APPLE
2005 Rank: 01
In the drama of Apple's resurgence, act one was forging the iTunes/iPod axis. Act two was bundling the iLife suite of creative tools with new computers. Adapting the Mac OS to run Windows apps natively would make a triumphant conclusion.
05. YAHOO
2005 Rank: 05
Who says portal is a dirty word? The McDonald's of cyberspace serves up a staggering 3.5 billion Web pages a day. Its relentlessly expanding feature stack gives even Google a touch of envy. So how about some respect?
36. MICROSOFT
2005 Rank: 28
The desktop OS gold mine won't last forever. What's next? Redmond's latest to-do list includes software-as-service, security, even VoIP. Or it could simply buy a piece of Yahoo. (Take that, Google!)"
Wired's top shows that Google's growth makes people feel confused about the company's activity. Google develops in so many directions that it's hard to define it.
