I thought Toyota created modern manufacturing.

"if sent back 100 years, which brand would have the biggest impact on history?" Both were won by Apple, but for the second question, Ford ranked fifth

Ford was founded over a hundred years ago.

@BartKela: Ford was the first company to build multiple big factories around the idea of an assembly line.

@BartKela: Well, yes, but Americans still aren't using it, so it doesn't count.

@Dweezil: Actually, Oldsmobile made the first mass-produced car. [en.wikipedia.org]

@sample032: To quote myself, "Ford was the first company to build multiple big factories around the idea of an assembly line."

What about RIM?

Harry "not mass produced" Wang

The tech product industry invents new ways to stumble in forming their brand equity:

[bizcast.typepad.com]

What other company has made technology sexy? Apple stands alone in that both geeks and suits wax poetic about their Macs, their iPhones, iPods, etc.

It's the only set of products that I can think of where I wonder, "Is there a soul in there?"

TiVo was close, but no cigar.

Mark
--
Metamorphosis: Change your life in 12 months
[thenetworkgarden.com]

Once I sober up from the cheap Cab Sauv, I'll come back with something useful, but for now think of it like this:

I have both the Manual of Afghani Jihad and the Japanese Kamikaze Manual documents, and I have done a presentation around the fact that both of these put technology in a spiritual context. The central thesis of that presentation is that if Western, secular military forces had something that spiritually compelling we would have no recruiting or morale problems.

Apple, for good or ill, offers that spiritual dimension, and has done so since the "do you want to sell sugar water or do you want to change the world" days.

Respect.

"Once I sober up from the cheap Cab Sauv,..."

That Cab Sauv sounds pretty good to me.

@zato3: Oh yeah, I'll bet they're thrilled I compared them to jihadists and kamikazes. There goes my discount!