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Apple

57 major milestones

American multinational technology company designing consumer electronics, software and services (iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, tvOS, iOS, macOS, iCloud, App Store). Founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne.

Latest Valuation
$3,740,000,000,000
3 Funding Rounds

Company Timeline

Years 0-4

Apple I prototype completed

Steve Wozniak completes the Apple I prototype and demonstrates it at the Homebrew Computer Club; Jobs sees commercial potential.

Year 0 • 1976

Apple Computer Company founded

Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne form Apple Computer Company in Jobs' family garage in Los Altos, California.

Year 0 • 1976

Ronald Wayne leaves; sells 10% stake

Less than two weeks after founding, Ronald Wayne sells his 10% stake back to Jobs and Wozniak for $800.

Year 0 • 1976

Apple I goes on sale

Apple I sold as assembled circuit board at $666.66; about 200 units eventually sold.

Year 0 • 1976

Apple incorporated; Mike Markkula invests

Apple Computer, Inc. is incorporated (Cupertino). Mike Markkula invests personally (~$92,000) and arranges a $250,000 line of credit; Markkula receives roughly one-third stake.

Year 1 • 1977Valuation: $276,000

Apple II launched

Apple II released to market (retail base price $1,298). It becomes a mass-market success and helps create the home microcomputer market.

Year 1 • 1977

Disk II floppy drive released

Wozniak's Disk II floppy drive and controller released, significantly improving storage for Apple II.

Year 2 • 1978

Apple III announced & released

Apple III announced (May 1980) and released; positioned for business market but suffers major reliability problems and recalls.

Year 4 • 1980

Apple goes public (IPO)

Apple sells 4.6 million shares at $22 each on NASDAQ (AAPL). IPO raises >$100M; end-of-day market capitalization about $1.778 billion.

Year 4 • 1980Valuation: $1,778,000,000

Years 5-9

Apple Lisa introduced

Apple releases Lisa (GUI-based workstation) priced at $9,995; commercial failure due to price and issues but introduces GUI concepts to Apple products.

Year 7 • 1983

'1984' Super Bowl ad airs

Apple airs the iconic Ridley Scott–directed '1984' commercial during Super Bowl XVIII to announce the Macintosh.

Year 8 • 1984

Macintosh 128K launched

Original Macintosh (Macintosh 128K) goes on sale with GUI, bundled with MacWrite and MacPaint; retail price around $2,495.

Year 8 • 1984

Steve Wozniak reduces involvement

Wozniak leaves active employment at Apple (spring 1985) to pursue other ventures though remains a shareholder and public representative.

Year 9 • 1985

Steve Jobs leaves Apple

Power struggle with CEO John Sculley ends with Jobs resigning as Apple chairman; he goes on to found NeXT and later buys Pixar.

Year 9 • 1985

Years 10-14

Apple registers apple.com

Apple registers the domain name 'apple.com' — one of the first 100 .com domains.

Year 11 • 1987

First corporate stock dividend

Apple issues its first stock dividend.

Year 11 • 1987

Apple stock 2-for-1 split

Apple executes a 2:1 stock split (one of a series of later splits).

Year 11 • 1987

Macintosh Portable released

Apple ships the Macintosh Portable (first battery-powered Mac); commercial sales disappointing due to weight and price.

Year 13 • 1989

Years 15-19

PowerBook line debuts; first-year revenue > $1B

Apple launches the PowerBook 100 line (designed by Sony for Apple) at COMDEX; PowerBook line generates over $1 billion revenue in its debut year.

Year 15 • 1991

Apple II discontinued; ~6M units sold cumulatively

Apple II series is discontinued after a long run; total Apple II sales approx. 6 million units before 1993 discontinuation.

Year 17 • 1993

Years 20-24

Apple acquires NeXT; Steve Jobs returns

Apple announces acquisition of NeXT for $429 million plus 1.5 million shares, bringing Steve Jobs back into Apple's management; NeXTSTEP becomes foundation for Mac OS X.

Year 20 • 1996

Microsoft invests $150M and partnership formed

At Macworld Expo, Microsoft and Apple announce a partnership including a $150M Microsoft investment in Apple and a commitment by Microsoft to continue Office for Mac for five years.

Year 21 • 1997

Gil Amelio ousted; Apple near bankruptcy

Board ousts CEO Gil Amelio amid severe financial trouble; Apple reported to be weeks away from bankruptcy earlier in 1997.

Year 21 • 1997

Steve Jobs named interim CEO; begins restructuring

Steve Jobs returns as interim CEO and immediately streamlines product lines and strategy; restores focus on design and retail.

Year 21 • 1997

Apple Online Store launches

Apple opens its online Apple Store (build-to-order manufacturing and direct-to-consumer sales).

Year 21 • 1997

iMac G3 launched; design turnaround

Apple launches the all-in-one iMac G3 with translucent colored plastics; becomes Apple's fastest-selling computer (over 5 million units sold during its run).

Year 22 • 1998

Years 25-29

Mac OS X (public) released

Apple releases Mac OS X 10.0 (derived from NeXTSTEP), forming the foundation of modern macOS and later iOS/macOS cross-pollination.

Year 25 • 2001

First Apple retail stores open

Apple opens its first physical Apple Store locations (the retail channel becomes a major distribution and brand experience innovation).

Year 25 • 2001

iPod launched

Apple introduces the iPod portable music player; it later becomes a category-defining 'halo' product for Apple.

Year 25 • 2001

iTunes Store launches

Apple launches the iTunes Store for paid music downloads (transforming digital music distribution).

Year 27 • 2003

Announces transition to Intel processors

Apple announces (2005) and begins transitioning Macs from PowerPC to Intel CPUs; first Intel-based Macs ship in early 2006.

Year 29 • 2005

Years 30-34

Apple TV (first) introduced

Apple enters the living-room device market with Apple TV (initial product announced/ship 2006–2007 timeframe).

Year 31 • 2007

Company renamed to Apple Inc.; iPhone unveiled

Steve Jobs announces the company will be renamed Apple Inc. to reflect broader consumer-electronics focus; he unveils the first iPhone.

Year 31 • 2007

iPhone goes on sale (1st generation)

Apple's first iPhone ships in the U.S., marking Apple's entry into the smartphone market.

Year 31 • 2007

App Store launches

Apple launches the App Store for iPhone apps (opened a curated third-party app economy).

Year 32 • 2008

iPhone 3GS sells 1M in 3 days

The iPhone 3GS sells approximately one million units in its first three days after launch.

Year 33 • 2009

iPhone 4 preorder surge

iPhone 4 sees over 600,000 pre-orders on first day; marks peak consumer demand and fuels large share price gains.

Year 34 • 2010

Apple shares hit record ~$275

Apple's share price reaches an all-time high of about $275 per share (2010 period noted in sources).

Year 34 • 2010

iPad launched

Apple introduces the iPad (first-generation) — a tablet bridging phone and laptop use cases.

Year 34 • 2010

Years 35-39

Steve Jobs resigns; Tim Cook named CEO

Steve Jobs resigns as CEO for health reasons; Tim Cook succeeds him as CEO. Jobs remains chairman until his death.

Year 35 • 2011

Steve Jobs dies

Co‑founder and longtime CEO Steve Jobs dies, two months after resigning as CEO.

Year 35 • 2011

iPhone 5 launched — 2M preorders

Apple unveils iPhone 5; the device receives more than two million pre-orders in a day.

Year 36 • 2012

iTunes milestone: 25 billion songs sold

iTunes reaches a milestone of approximately 25 billion songs sold cumulatively (2013).

Year 37 • 2013

Apple acquires Beats for ~$3B

Apple announces acquisition of Beats Electronics and Beats Music for approximately $3 billion, strengthening audio and music services.

Year 38 • 2014

Apple Watch unveiled

Apple unveils the Apple Watch (first new product category since Jobs' era); it goes on sale in April 2015.

Year 38 • 2014

Apple Watch goes on sale

First Apple Watch models become available to consumers; Apple starts moving into wearables and health-tracking.

Year 39 • 2015

Years 40-44

AirPods announced (released Dec 2016)

Apple announces AirPods wireless earbuds (Sept 2016) and ships them in December 2016; they become a major accessory business.

Year 40 • 2016

Clips app released

Apple releases Clips app for easy on-device video editing and sharing on iPhone and iPad.

Year 41 • 2017

iPhone X announced (design change, $999)

Apple announces iPhone X with Face ID, bezel‑less screen and no home button; flagship starting price $999.

Year 41 • 2017

Apple becomes first US company to reach $1 trillion market cap

Apple reaches a market capitalization of approximately $1 trillion — the first publicly traded U.S. company to do so.

Year 42 • 2018Valuation: $1,000,000,000,000

Major services push: Apple TV+, Apple News+, Apple Arcade, Apple Card announced

Apple launches subscription services and partners with Goldman Sachs for the Apple Card; marks a strategic shift toward recurring-revenue services.

Year 43 • 2019

Apple reaches ~$2 trillion market cap

Apple briefly becomes the first U.S. company to reach a market capitalization near $2 trillion (share price milestones in 2020).

Year 44 • 2020Valuation: $2,000,000,000,000

Years 45-49

iPod Touch discontinued

Apple discontinues the iPod Touch, signaling the definitive end of the iPod product era.

Year 46 • 2022

Apple Vision Pro unveiled at WWDC

Apple unveils Apple Vision Pro, its first mixed‑reality headset, at WWDC 2023 — described by Apple as a major new product category.

Year 47 • 2023

Fiscal year 2024 revenue reported at $391.04B

Apple reports global annual revenue of US$391.04 billion for fiscal 2024 — confirming its status as the largest technology company by revenue.

Year 48 • 2024

Apple Vision Pro ships; MSRP $3,499

Apple releases the Vision Pro mixed-reality headset with U.S. price $3,499.

Year 48 • 2024

Market valuation ~ $3.74 trillion (Dec 2024)

Apple's market value reported at just over $3.74 trillion in December 2024, making it the largest company on the Nasdaq by market cap.

Year 48 • 2024Valuation: $3,740,000,000,000