teaearlegreyhot

Pity that MS (and other giants) can buy up small apps like this, and then kill them off.  So much for a competitive marketplace.  The original developer got rich, no doubt, but the users that created their value are now stuck in a lurch.

The methodology of Fortune's rankings has never really been made clear

Actually, AI made them a little clearer back in 2014, when it reported that:
"Forbes says the rankings are calculated by a formula which includes a variable portion of the companies' trailing three-year revenues and the stocks' average price-to-earnings ratio over that same period of time. The amount of revenue in the equation is determined by how important a brand is to the success of businesses in that category --?a higher proportion for luxury retailers, for example, and a lower proportion for airlines."

Maybe it's time to check your own archives.  

http://forums.appleinsider.com/discussion/160614/apple-claims-worlds-most-valuable-brand-crown-for-3rd-consecutive-year/p1

Wow, that's a pretty RICH title, don't you think? 
"glimpse at Apple's future auto competition."
Considering that at the moment, Apple is not presenting itself as an auto maker.
Or even as a potential auto maker!