iPad frenzy boosts Apple stock

Chasing Microsoft's tail

Apple spent one day as the third most valuable company in the US this month thanks to the iPad launch.

March 9th, which was the day on which Apple announced the touch-screen device's launch date, saw the Cupertino company reach a market cap value of $213.9 billion and shot it into third place behind mighty Microsoft ($261.1 billion) and oil company Exxon Mobil ($316.6 billion).

According to Fortune, it won't take too much of a lift for Apple's stock value to get to the $288 per share it would need to kick Microsoft out of the second place spot.

Bill gates must be sobbing in to his diamond-encrusted solid platinum cereal bowl.