This fiscal year, Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) spent $8.3 billion in capital expenditures, nearly double the $4.3 billion it spent in fiscal 2011. Of that total, approximately $865 million was spent on building up its retail stores, while the majority of it was spent on product tooling and advanced manufacturing processes. Apple now vastly outspends its competitors. Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) spent $2.5 billion in cap ex over the past year, while Google's (NASDAQ:GOOGL) bill was $3.2 billion. However, when it comes to research and development expenses, Apple spends much less. Apple's $3.4 billion in R&D was lower than Microsoft's $10 billion and Google's $5.2 billion.
Fool contributor Evan Niu, CFA, owns shares of Apple. The Motley Fool owns shares of Apple, Google, and Microsoft. Motley Fool newsletter services recommend Apple, Google, and Microsoft. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
