Apple created the iPhone and has repeatedly ranked among the world’s top companies by market capitalization.
Apple introduced the first iPhone on January 9, 2007, and released it in the United States on June 29 of that year. The device combined a mobile phone, an iPod, and an internet communicator in one touchscreen product, while replacing the physical keyboard common on many smartphones at the time.
The iPhone became the center of Apple’s hardware ecosystem and helped drive revenue from accessories, applications, and services. Its success contributed significantly to Apple’s growth into a company valued in the trillions of dollars.
The iPhone is sometimes confused with the iOS operating system. iPhone is the hardware product line, while iOS is the software platform used on it. Apple’s market capitalization reflects the value investors place on the entire company, not the sales value of iPhones alone.