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By Sarah Porter BBC News, Singapore
3 August 2018
It's been called the most successful company in history.
And it's just become the world's first public company to be worth $1 trillion
( 767bn).
So how's it done it?
Here's a quick look at five of the biggest things that have helped make Apple
the gigantic success story it is today.
1. Steve Jobs - a brand unto himself
As the co-founder of one of the world's most successful companies, his is one
of the most recognised names in the world of tech.
He put Apple at the forefront of the personal computing revolution, and was
behind a suite of revolutionary, highly desirable products - from the iPod to
the iPad.
But he was also recognised as one of the modern world's first auteur chief
executives - and became a brand unto himself.
From the time he founded the company with Steve Wozniak in 1976 in Silicon
Valley, California, Apple was seen as a firm that was set to achieve great
things.
Apple shares were in such high demand that by the time it opted for a flotation
in 1980, it became the biggest stock market launch since Ford in 1956.
In 1985, Mr Jobs was famously ousted from the firm he founded after a falling
out with chief executive John Scully.
But by 1997, after Apple had been operating at a loss for 12 years, Mr Jobs was
asked to return.
He quickly set about scrapping various projects and introduced Think Different
- a campaign designed to promote Apple and its products, and revive employee
morale. The firm quickly returned to profitability.
When Mr Jobs died in 2011, US President Barack Obama said the world had "lost a
visionary".
Apple just wouldn't be Apple without his name behind it.
Profile: Steve Jobs
2. The iPhone - a revolution
Launched in 2007, the impact the iPhone has had on modern mobile communication
is unmatched, and unquestionable.
Almost 1.4 million iPhones were sold in the first year they were on the market.
Competitors such as Nokia and Blackberry, which had dominated the mobile phone
market, were quickly knocked out.
While Apple recently dropped to third place in the battle of the world's
biggest smartphone makers, behind South Korea's Samsung and China's Huawei, its
iPhones are still clocking strong demand worldwide.
Apple sold 41.3 million of them in the three months to June this year - and
about 216 million worldwide last year.
Moreover, Apple's bottom line is still largely determined by their sales. In
the most recent quarter, 56% of Apple's revenue came from iPhone sales.
But perhaps more importantly for Apple's future - the iPhone is a gateway to
the company's booming services offerings.
3. Apple services - and brand loyalty
Think iTunes or Apple Music, the App Store, iCloud and Apple Pay.
These are just some of the things that make up Apple's services business - and
they're regarded as the firm's most important and fastest-growing drivers of
revenue.
In the three months to June this year, Apple's services saw revenue growth of
31%.
And while the iPhone might be a gateway to Apple's offerings, things like Apple
Music and the App Store, in turn, help drive brand loyalty.
If a consumer truly loves using their iPhone to buy music and movies, Apple's
hope is that they'll move on to purchase an iPad, a Macbook, an Apple TV or
watch.
"That's the financial genius that sits inside that brand - getting consumers to
keep buying the hardware," says Paul Nelson, managing director of BrandMatters.
"Strong brands have clients who are simply disinterested in alternatives - and
that's where Apple's strength lies. The fact that you just become a loyalist."
4. China - and growth
Without China, the world's biggest smartphone market, Apple's success would
look quite different.
Mainland China generates about a quarter of Apple's profits.
In addition, most of Apple's iPhones are manufactured in Shenzhen in southern
China
And while the company suffered a rough patch between March 2016 and July last
year - when its Greater China revenues saw double-digit falls - the tech giant
has now reversed those fortunes.
Since September 2017, Apple has seen double-digit year-on-year revenue growth
across the Greater China region.
How? Well, the iPhone has remained a symbol of wealth and prestige among
China's growing middle-income, big city dwellers.
So despite the stiff competition from cheaper home-made brands, Apple's more
lucrative iPhones, iPads and Macs have helped repair its regional revenue
numbers.
5. The Apple brand today
The Forbes list, which measures the value of a company's brand by looking at
its financial numbers, has ranked Apple as the most valuable brand for the last
eight years in a row. This year, it was valued at $182.8bn.
Now Forbes may only analyse companies with a presence in the US, but compare
Apple's brand value to that of Coca-Cola's - a one-time world leader in terms
of brand recognition - this year valued at just $57.3bn.
For those of us born before the turn of the millennium, it's probably difficult
to imagine a world without Coca-Cola signs somewhere along our local shopping
streets.
But for the generations that follow, the instantly recognisable eaten apple
seems set (so far) to be one of the brands of the 21st Century.
"The thing that Apple has been able to do, that Coca-Cola hasn't been able to,
is to remain relevant and contemporary," says BrandMatters' Paul Nelson.
"They have kept the human at the centre of their ecosystem, and at the centre
of everything they do. Their whole brand is about humanising technology.
"The reason you get to a trillion dollars is that you create in your business
model built-in barriers for customers to move elsewhere. And Apple is just that
- it's a complete ecosystem."