In 2013, Google overtook Apple as the most valuable company in the world. Apple had held that title for three straight years. We were just forwarded an infographic from FinancesOnline, that provides a look into the top brands of 2014. Further, in his excellent write-up preceding the infographic, David Adelman – deputy business and finance editor at FinancesOnline.com – made a few noteworthy points about Google’s rise and Apple’s fall.

Adelman’s argument boils down to a few main points:

1. “Apple’s calculated process to churn out a perfect product slows down its progress.”
2. and “The search giant has the habit of releasing beta versions”¹

Essentially, then, Adelman’s argument is that speed is the main difference between Apple and Google. Google has no problem shipping a bare-bones beta version of an app to the app store; Apple, conversely, is very meticulous when it comes to releasing products, ironing out any and all kinks before releasing them to the public. “While Apple engineers slave away for months in their lab caves looking for the Holy Grail, Google engineers are already half drunk in cocktail events announcing their latest projects. That’s just a hypothetical situation, but you get the picture.”² Whatever the case may be, Google seems to be living on the cutting edge, while Apple lags a bit behind with a much more beautiful, bug-less version. Perhaps Google’s rise says more about us as a people than about the companies themselves. As we are becoming more and more impatient, Google is catering to this trait, releasing quickly. Anyhow, here is a look at the top 10 most valuable brands of 2014:

Via FinancesOnline