Apple eats into market share to become most valuable company ever

Apple today became the most valuable public company of all-time after its market value climbed beyond $620bn.

The corporation's tradedable share prices reached a peak of $664.74 earlier on Monday ahead of the release of the latest iPhone, Apple's biggest product, on September 12.

The milestone surpasses Microsoft Corps' market value record of $616.3bn, set in 1999, just before the height of the dot-com era.

Apple's rise to the top of the markets and new place in the history books comes after the corporation usurped oil producer Exxon to become the world's most valuable company in January of this year.

The information, compiled by S&P Dow Jones Indices, also documents the fall in day-trading for rivals Facebook.

Statistics suggest Apple's stock usually rallies in the run up to major product launches, but Bernstein Research's Toni Sacconaghi warned that questions still remained about the availability of components for both the iPhone and the iPad.

He said: "A key question for the launch will be Apple's expected rollout schedule."

"Apple's intention is to continue to ramp offerings as quickly as possible, but the company's ability to do so remains a key near-term question."