Apple introduced the first iPhone, helping build one of the world’s largest market capitalizations.
Apple unveiled the original iPhone on January 9, 2007, at the Macworld conference in San Francisco. It combined a mobile phone, a widescreen iPod, and an internet communications device in one product. The device went on sale in the United States on June 29, 2007.
The first iPhone used a touchscreen interface and replaced the physical keyboard common on many smartphones of the period. It initially launched with a 2G cellular connection and did not yet have the App Store, which Apple introduced in 2008. Later iPhone generations added faster networks, cameras, GPS, and access to a large software ecosystem.
The iPhone became central to Apple’s growth, but Apple’s market capitalization also reflects Macs, iPads, wearables, services, cash generation, and investor expectations about future earnings. A popular product alone does not determine market cap; the valuation reflects the whole company and the price investors are willing to pay for its shares.