Apple’s stock price has been in the news several times recently thanks to a dramatic surge in the past few weeks. Just two weeks ago Apple was trading at nearly $550 per share and hit a remarkable $500 million in market capitalization (the combined price of all tradable shares). The announcement and impending release of the third-generation iPad has fueled a dramatic increase since then. Just yesterday Apple’s stock price hit $582 per share, a new all-time record for the company.

Of course, as the old saying goes, records are made to be broken. Apple’s stock price has continued to rise since yesterday, and at the start of trading this morning actually hit $600 per share. It has fallen somewhat since that initial high, but not very far. As of this writing Apple’s stock is trading at $593.15 per share. The surge since yesterday has also been enough to add a further $10 billion to Apple’s market cap, which is now sitting at $552.44 billion. This makes Apple the most valuable company in the world, with a market cap now nearly $150 billion higher than that of second-place Exxon-Mobil.

With the new iPad (and a new Apple TV) releasing to the public tomorrow, a new iPhone coming either this summer or this fall, it’s not likely that Apple’s remarkable upward momentum will slow anytime soon.

How long can Apple stay at the top? Will you be buying Apple stock any time soon? Let us know in the comments.