Apple’s market capitalization is $469 billion. Let’s see what you can buy with $469 billion?

Microsoft’s market cap is $257 billion, and Intel is $136 billion. Throw in Dell for some chump change ($32 billion) and you still have $44 billion left to blow on beer and popcorn.

Alternatively if you wanted to go for a more “online model”, you could pick up Google for $199 billion, and throw in Ebay for $43 billion, Yahoo for $20 billion, LinkedIn ($8.5 billion), Amazon for $87 billion and still have $112 billion left to pick up things like Facebook (presently the IPO is not priced yet).

I’m not saying that Apple is a buy or a sell at existing prices, just that its market gigantic market capitalization means it will be facing the law of large numbers, mainly it becomes more and more difficult to increase your size on a constant percentage basis when you get bigger.

Every media outlet is reporting the blowout quarter that Apple had – the financials are just something to be salivated at. With $46.3 billion in sales, $25.6 billion in cost of sales, you are left with $20.7 billion of gross profit. Subtract $3.4 billion in operating expenses and you are left with $17.3 billion in operating income.

This was in a single quarter. A lot of people must have wanted their iPhones and iPads for Christmas.

Subtracting taxes and other matters still left shareholders with $13 billion net at the end of the day.

When you add up the cash and marketable securities, they still have $98 billion to splash around.

Normally in technology, companies face incredible price pressure as competition is very fierce. Apple behaves as if it has a monopoly on its market, and in the minds of many consumers, they might as well.

There is erosion potential with the iPhones (specifically with Google’s encroachment with Android), and the iPads are starting to face some functional competition. However, this will not dissuade people from the name brand, as Apple has turned into somewhat of a status icon – this in itself will make it more difficult for competition to break.

The question for Apple – can they keep it up?

The question more relevant for investors would be – what technology upstart ten years from now will be doing the same thing?