Samsung and Apple have traded spots as the top dog in the mobile market over the past few years, and while the South Korean-based electronics manufacturer has had the momentum in past years, it looks like Apple is the now one with the chips in its pocket.

Apple hit an incredible landmark last week by hitting a market value of $700 billion for the first time since its inception -- a staggering amount by any standard. Shares of Apple have fluctuated a bit since then, but the fact remains the same: Apple is the largest company in the world by a wide margin.

With a market cap of $700 billion, Apple easily surpasses every other company worldwide. The next largest company, Exxon Mobil, is valued at $405 billion, while Microsoft comes in at just under $400 billion. While many questioned the success of Apple after the death of founder and visionary CEO Steve Jobs, the numbers show successor Tim Cook has proven himself. According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple shares are up more than 50 percent in 2014 and up more than 130 percent since Cook took over in August 2011.

Much of Apple's resurgent dominance comes from the new iPhone 6 lineup, which finally caters to consumer demand for large screen smartphones.

Samsung, meanwhile, has hit somewhat of a rough patch. The company seemed poised to take over the international mobile market with record-setting sales of its Galaxy S and Galaxy Note handsets starting in 2012, but recent years have shown consumer confidence declining. Sales of the Galaxy S5 handset have fallen short of expectations, and rival Android smartphones have gained in popularity, leading many to believe Samsung was in for a shakeup at the executive level.

According to reports around Thanksgiving, Samsung staffers have been particularly worried about this year's annual evaluation, fearing layoffs after the company posted the worst earnings in three years. Samsung usually switches up personnel in December, and with the third-quarter operating profit down by nearly two-thirds, many expected heads to roll.

Samsung, however, announced Monday that it would retain its mobile division chief J.K. Shin and give him a chance to turn things around, unleashing a huge sigh of relief within the company. A Samsung spokeswoman also said that the company's three main divisions of consumer electronics, mobile, and semiconductors would remain relatively unchanged.

"President J.K. Shin is a major contributor in Samsung Electronics' emergence as the top global player in the handsets business," Samsung Group Senior Vice President Lee June told reporters (via Reuters).

Samsung will announce other management-level changes later this week. 

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