Should you buy Apple before the iPad launches?

"Apple (NAS: AAPL) will become the most valuable company in the world. Bet on it. In fact, go out and sell all your personal belongings, liquidate your 401(k), and buy Apple stock with every last dollar you own."

That was the intro to an article I wrote on Sept. 12, 2010 on the inevitability that Apple would become the most valuable company in the world; Apple has risen 107% since then and recently did secure its place as the world's most valuable company. While the intro was a bit sensationalistic -- on purpose -- the message of the article was clear: Go and buy Apple. And less than a week later, I followed it up by issuing a buy recommendation. Later, I bought Apple for my real-money portfolio on fool.com. In that buy recommendation I called it "my top conviction selection to outperform the market in 2011."