Apple is paying a dividend. I wouldn't worry too much about how much money they are sitting on. Having very large cash reserves allows them to buy companies tha

Apple is paying a dividend. I wouldn't worry too much about how much money they are sitting on. Having very large cash reserves allows them to buy companies that have technology they want to integrate into their products and keep it away from competitors. It has allowed them to pre-pay for production of products, manufacturing equipment and other tooling that ensures they meet market demand for new products while keeping that same tooling out of the hands of competitors etc. One of my clients hired fifty new employees in one month last year because Apple pre-paid for a supply of chips and the company needed to ramp up production. They couldn't have moved that fast without the infusion of cash.