When investing in dividend stocks, (NASDAQ: AAPL) and Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) are two prominent names that often come up for consideration. Both companies have a long history of generating significant returns for their shareholders. Even more, each company has been able to pay a steadily growing dividend to investors over the last decade while also delivering market-beating returns in their share prices. But which tech giant's shares are the more attractive bet for investors looking for a reliable stream of growing income?

To decide whether Apple or Microsoft is a better dividend stock, let's compare the two companies on three key factors dividend investors should consider when buying a stock for its income stream: dividend history, payout ratio, and valuation.

Though both Apple and Microsoft boast impressive dividend history, Microsoft has Apple beat on this front. The company has paid a dividend every year since 2003 and has rewarded investors with annual increases to its dividend for 11 consecutive years. Apple has similarly delivered 11 years of consecutive increases, but its current streak of dividend payments only started in 2012. 

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Source Fool.com