Fast Company is today out with its list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies for 2018 and ranking at the top of that list is none other than Apple. The company came in at number four on the list last year, but has jumped to the top spot this go around thanks to the iPhone X, ARKit, and more…

Fast Company explains that Apple’s 2017 saw it release the AirPods, Apple Watch Series 3, ARKit, and iPhone X – all of which became popular sellers in their respective categories.

For a company slagged for not having had a hit since the iPad in 2010, Apple had a notable 2017: Its wireless AirPods became ubiquitous around the country; the Apple Watch Series 3 is a bestseller; developers embraced ARKit, its AR framework; and even skeptics were blown away by the iPhone X.

Furthermore, Apple is praised for its “ambitious” software and hardware projects, ranging from its chip development work, to cameras, and much more. Artificial intelligence is also a point of advantage for Apple, where Fast Company says the company “has made major inroads” despite competition from Google and Amazon.

Specifically, Fast Company notes Apple’s privacy-centric approach to artificial intelligence, where most of the work is done on the device itself:

For instance, it uses AI techniques to wring as much life as possible out of the iPhone’s battery. Because of Apple’s privacy-driven decision to limit the amount of information it aggregates and analyzes in the cloud, it also does much of its AI right on the devices rather than using massive server farms.

Coming in behind Apple on the most innovative company list is Netflix in second place, Square in third, Tencent in fourth, and Amazon – last year’s winner – in fifth. Rounding out the top 10 are Patagonia, CVS Health, The Washington Post, Spotify, and the NBA.

Source: 9to5mac