Apple became the first publicly traded business to reach a $1 trillion market value during trading on August 2, 2018.
The milestone came when Apple shares rose above the price needed to give the company a market capitalization of approximately $1 trillion. Market capitalization is calculated by multiplying a company’s share price by its total number of outstanding shares, so the threshold can be crossed during trading and later change before the closing bell.
Apple’s achievement reflected decades of growth from its Macintosh computer business into a broad consumer-technology ecosystem. The iPhone, introduced in 2007, became the company’s most important product and helped expand related services, software, accessories, and wearables.
This fact is sometimes confused with Apple’s later record of becoming the first company to close above $3 trillion in market value. The $1 trillion event happened in 2018, while the $3 trillion closing milestone occurred in 2023.