Apple is Barron's most respected company for second year running

In what should be no surprise to anyone who follows the tech sector, Apple has been named Barron's most respected company for the second year running. Barron's annual most respected list is compiled from a survey of money managers who can recommend any company in the world for the top honors.

Not only did Apple make those money managers a huge amount of cash last year (the stock went up almost 60 percent in 2010), but Apple also took top honors because the company had the technical, creative and marketing skills to finally shape a viable consumer market, with iPad, for a technology that's existed in some form since before the turn of the century (tablets).

Besides the iPad and the soaring stock price, in 2010 Apple introduced the iPhone 4, redesigned the iPod nano and MacBook Air, hit the 10 billionth iTunes song download early in the year and introduced a new Apple TV. And that was just the big stuff. Check out the cool video after the break that showcases some of the other reasons Apple was probably chosen as Barron's most respected company in 2010. Matter of fact, Apple had such a high-flying year, we could almost forgive Ping.

Video by tszheichoi: