Once shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) topped $700 last September, the chatter on the street was all about when Apple stock would hit $1,000 a share. Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) topped $900 a share yesterday and appears well-set to beat Apple to that mark.

Google came public in the late summer of 2004 at around $100 a share. At the time Apple shares traded for less than $20. The two companies remained pretty evenly matched in trajectory until mid-2007, when Apple first introduced the iPhone. The financial crisis cooled enthusiasm for both companies, but by early 2009 Apple pulled away rapidly.

Since Google’s IPO the company’s stock has appreciated nearly 750%; in the same period, Apple’s stock price has risen more 2,500%. Google’s rise has been slower and steadier, while Apple’s shares soared on the success of the iPhone and later the iPad.

In order to beat Google to $1,000, Apple needs another iPhone. An iPhone 5S or an iPhone 6 will not do the job. A wrist-phone? Maybe, but not likely.

The winning ticket for Apple is most likely going to be an Internet-connected TV that is both easy to use and relatively cheap. Google and plenty of others are working on the same thing, but splashy innovation is, perhaps unfairly, associated more with Apple than Google.

As for Mr. Page, we wish him well as he deals with his vocal cord issues. But we figure that when Google’s stock price hits $1,000 — well before Apple’s does — he will have something to shout about.

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