by , 12:10 PM EST, December 27th, 2007

Apple's stock closed at a new high of US$198.95 on Wednesday, but didn't stop there. The Mac and iPod maker's stock climbed up over $200 during Thursday morning trading, and topped $201 before noon EST.

The Cupertino company's market cap is reflecting the continued rise and is sitting at $170.03 billion, only 4.6 billion below IBM's $174.63 billion market cap.

Apple is currently trading at $201.75, up 2.80 (1.41%).