Apple has become the first US company to hit a market cap of $2 trillion. It’s an arbitrary milestone but a significant one all the same, testimony to the pandemic-defying performance of the iPhone maker. It’s also been just two years since Apple hit a $1 trillion market cap, meaning the company has essentially doubled in value in just over 24 months.
Apple shares are up about 60% year to date, pushing through the coronavirus pandemic that has battered many companies. In the past year, shares have risen more than 120%.
But although revenues are booming, Apple is facing a string of regulatory headwinds regarding the ecosystem of apps that underwrite its hardware. Most notable of these is the legal challenge from Fortnite creator Epic Games, which is currently suing Apple for kicking Fortnite off iOS after Epic tried to circumvent Apple’s payment systems. Part of Epic’s complaint is that the company’s 30 percent cut on transactions is extortionate.
Along with Apple’s growing revenue from its services and its reported plans to launch various subscription bundles later this year, this shows how the iPhone maker’s future depends not just on its hardware, but on the software that keeps customers loyal. The iPhone got Apple to $1 trillion. Services, arguably, got it $2 trillion.
