Apple's Peers And Competitors Say It's The Second Best Brand In Tech

Apple is the second most respected brand in the technology industry, according to a poll of 10,000 vp-level executives conducted by the brand consulting firm CoreBrand.

Execs from many of the world's largest companies were asked to rate a brand's familiarity and its favorability, from a list CoreBrand assembled of the most recognizable brands in the U.S. The brands also had to have been publicly traded for at least five years, as well as tracked by CoreBrand for five years to be included in the rankings (NOTE: you will not see Google in this list because the firm has not followed them long enough).

Those with the smallest gap between familiarity and favorability were determined to be the "most respected," which CoreBrand regards as a key element of building a successful brand.

Here are the technology sector's most admirable brands, according to top executives:

1. IBM: Though Apple may have a cult following among consumers, IBM provides unparalleled IT services to businesses. It excels in data analytics and cloud computing, and is rapidly growing in emerging markets.

2. Apple: Apple is poised to reclaim its title as the most creative company, with its upcoming iPad Air and its iOS7-powered iPhone 5S. Its place at number two is likely due to its dull performance for most of the year.

3. Microsoft: Microsoft's Windows operating system severely trails Google's Android, but Microsoft's platforms remain the top choice for many developers.

4. Yahoo: Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer has famously turned the brand from a dinosaur into something relevant, with a revamp of its homepage and mail service, as well as the acquisition of blogging site Tumblr.

5. Texas Instruments: TI's reputation for manufacturing semiconductors is rock solid, and they have consistently been lauded for their business ethics.

Aside from the glaring omission of Google, CoreBrand said the results should not be surprising. "We suspect if we simply polled people about who would be at the top, the list would look something similar to this," they wrote in the report.