Apple created the iPhone and became the first public company to exceed a $1 trillion market capitalization.
Apple reached the milestone in August 2018 as its share price rose after strong investor confidence in the iPhone, services, and broader hardware ecosystem. The company’s products include the Mac, iPad, Apple Watch, and AirPods, while its services include the App Store, Apple Music, and iCloud.
Apple was founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne. The company’s early success came from personal computers, but the iPod, iPhone, and later services transformed its scale and business mix.
The $1 trillion milestone refers to market capitalization: share price multiplied by shares outstanding. It does not mean Apple had $1 trillion in cash. Apple later passed larger valuation thresholds as its share price and number of shares changed over time.