Apple was the first company to surpass a $1 trillion market capitalization during a trading day, reaching the mark in August 2018.
The milestone was based on Apple’s share price multiplied by its outstanding shares. The company had already become one of the world’s most valuable businesses, but crossing the trillion-dollar line gave investors a simple headline measure of its extraordinary scale.
Apple’s rise was powered primarily by the iPhone, launched in 2007, together with the associated App Store and services ecosystem. Revenue from services and sales of Macs, iPads, and wearables broadened the business beyond the iPhone.
The phrase “first trillion-dollar company” can be confused with later milestones involving $2 trillion or $3 trillion. Those were separate achievements, reached by Apple and other technology companies at different times.