Apple held the world’s largest market capitalization when it became the first company to reach $1 trillion.
Apple passed the $1 trillion valuation in August 2018 while it was already the most valuable publicly traded company. Its share price had risen strongly as investors responded to sales of the iPhone, growth in services, and the company’s large profits.
Market capitalization ranks companies by the total market value of their outstanding shares. It differs from revenue, profit, assets, and cash holdings, so a company with the largest market cap is not automatically the largest by every financial measure.
Apple’s position followed years of expansion after the iPod, iPhone, and iPad broadened its consumer ecosystem. The company’s integrated hardware, operating systems, retail presence, and services helped make its brand unusually valuable worldwide.