Apple Inc.: Our Modern-Day Symbol of Knowledge, Power, and Wealth (2024)

Since time immemorial, the apple has been viewed in world folklore, literature, and history as a symbol of knowledge, power, and wealth. The twentieth and the twentieth-first centuries have given rise to a different type of apple – the technology company Apple (AAPL) – which retained its association with knowledge, power, and wealth.

Knowledge: Since its inception in 1976, Apple has strongly emphasized knowledge, understood as the management of information and the creation of a material and nonmaterial environment where knowledge can thrive.

Power: The company has also wielded considerable power in the technology world, creating products that outclassed and outsold those of its competitors. Apple’s founder, Steve Jobs, was named the “Most Powerful Person in Business” by Fortune and, in building his successful company, he drew on French and Raven’s six forms of power: legitimate, expert, reward, information, coercive, and referent. Tim Cook has appeared on Forbes’s “The World’s Most Powerful People” list seven times.

Wealth: Apple became the first US company to hit a market cap of $3 trillion. By the end of his life, Jobs had a net worth of $10.2 billion. Tim Cook is considered the highest-paid CEO after Elon Musk: as of March 2022, his net worth was $2 billion. The Apple CEO earned $770.5 million in 2021 alone, as part of a 10-year grant of shares worth $1.7 billion. Apple is also giving him over $38 million in stock to stay with the company through 2025. And according to Business Insider, owning an iPhone or iPad shows that a person is wealthy and belongs to a higher-income class.

Other facts and statistics further confirm the association between Apple and knowledge, power, and wealth. Continue reading to learn more about these notable characteristics of the company.

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Facts about Apple

Some information about Apple might sound as though it’s been purposely made up to create a myth. And yet, everything in the below statistics is absolutely true:

  • Apple has a bigger cash hoard than Alphabet or Microsoft. In March 2022, Apple reported $202.5 billion in cash and investments. This is 7.4% of all the ’s cash. This amount is also nearly 4% up from 2021. By comparison, Alphabet presently holds $169.2 billion in cash and investments, while Microsoft has $132.3 billion, or 5% of the S&P 500’s cash pile.
  • Several years ago, Apple had three times as much cash as the American government and over twice as much as the United Kingdom. In 2014, Apple reported that it had $158.8 billion in cash and cash equivalents plus short- and long-term securities. US Trust reported that the American government had just $48.5 billion in reserves in the same year.
  • In 2014, Apple made more money than Amazon, Google, and Facebook combined.
  • The Apple I was released in 1976 for a diabolical price of $666.66. Steve Jobs later explained that he chose this ominous number not because he wanted to hint at his demonic powers but because he loved repeating digits.
  • Apple’s Retina Display has increased the popularity of the iPad. Yet few iPad owners know that it is Samsung, one of Apple’s main competitors, that manufactures the display for Apple.
  • Apple was the first to create a digital color camera. Launched in 1994, it was called The Apple Quick Take 100 and cost less than $1,000. The camera packed a 640×480-pixel CCD and could store up to eight 640×480 images in the internal memory.
  • By 2011, the Apple iPhone accounted for 40% of the company’s annual revenue. It is also estimated that more than ¾ of Apple’s income stems from products invented within the past 10 years.
  • The name iPod was inspired by the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Sources: Forbes

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Apple Event 2023

Apple unveiled its iPhone 15 and new Series 9 Apple Watch during its annual September event on Tuesday, September 12. Here are a few facts about the new Apple iPhone 15 and the new Series 9 Apple Watch release:

Apple iPhone 15

  • It will come in four models: iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max.
  • The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will have a 6.1-inch display, while the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will have a 6.7-inch display.
  • All four models are powered by the new A16 Bionic chip.
  • The Pro versions are expected to be powered by the new A17 Bionic chip.
  • The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will have a dual-camera system on the back, while the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will have a triple-camera system.
  • The iPhone 15 starts at $799, the iPhone 15 Plus starts at $899, the iPhone 15 Pro starts at $999, and the iPhone 15 Pro Max starts at $1,199.
  • Pre-orders begin Friday, September 15, with availability beginning Friday, September 22.

Apple Watch Series 9

  • It comes in two models: Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2.
  • The Apple Watch Series 9 has a 41mm or 45mm display, while the Apple Watch Ultra 2 has a 49mm display.
  • Both models are powered by the new S9 SiP, which increases performance and capabilities.
  • The Apple Watch Series 9 has a new double tap gesture, a brighter display, faster on-device Siri, and Precision Finding for iPhone.
  • The Apple Watch Ultra 2 comes with a titanium case.
  • The Apple Watch Series 9 starts at $399, and the Apple Watch Ultra 2 starts at $799.
  • The watch will be available for purchase on September 22. You can pre-order the watch on the Apple website or at authorized retailers.

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Apple Statistics by 2022

  • Since its launch, Apple has sold over 1.3 billion iPhones worldwide.
  • Apple sold an average of 572,603 iPhones per day in 2018.
  • The number of iOS devices sold crossed the 2 billion mark in 2018.
  • In Q3 2019, the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR models accounted for 67% of all iPhone sales in the US, with the iPhone XR alone accounting for 48% of sales.
  • In 2019, Apple TV sales were 13 million.
  • Mac computers generated $9 billion in 2020.
  • Apple paid iOS developers $26.5 billion in 2020.
  • Apple sold more than 34 million Apple Watches in 2020.
  • Apple shipped 3.2 million iPhones to India in 2020.
  • Apple sold 194 million iPhones in 2020.
  • Apple sold 438 million products globally in 2020.
  • More than 70 million iPads were sold in 2020.
  • Apple shipped 15.5 million MacBooks in 2020.
  • People bought 34 million Apple Watches in 2020.
  • Apple had the best-selling smartphones worldwide in 2021.
  • In Q1 2021, Apple sold 55.2 million iPhones.
  • In Q2 2021, the Wearables, Home, and Accessories category of Apple reached record revenues of $7.8 billion.
  • More than 100 million people use Macs globally.
  • Today, the App Store has nearly1.82 million apps, and developers continue to release new apps almost on a daily basis.
  • Apple brick-and-mortar stores welcome more than 1 million people per day.
  • The largest Apple store in the world is located in Amsterdam (27,000 square feet). Its upper floor features the world’s longest Genius Bar (82-foot-long) with seats for over 20 visitors.

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Apple Q1 Earnings 2024

Apple reported its 2024 first-quarter earnings on Thursday, February 1, with EPS of $2.18, $0.08 better than the analyst estimate of $2.10. Revenue for the quarter came in at $119.58B versus the consensus estimate of $118.06B.

“Apple reported a solid quarter, highlighting the durability of the company’s brand as the iPhone giant continues to grow its customer base,” said Jesse Cohen, senior analyst at Investing.com. “Solid demand growth for its lineup of high-end iPhones helped offset incremental weakness in other areas of the business.

“Despite the strong quarter, investors were left wanting more from Apple, which is held to a higher standard than any other tech company,” he continued. “Apple’s worrying China sales figures indicate demand for its high-end iPhones is slowing more than expected in the face of rising competition from local companies, including Huawei. The big question is if this is just a blip, or signs of a bigger shift among consumers as rising interest rates and a weaker economic backdrop discourage consumers from making pricey purchases.”

Jesse Cohen, Senior Analyst atInvesting.com

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Apple’s Annual Revenue from 2006 to Q3 FY2023 ($bn)

In 2022, Apple’s market cap briefly reached a historic milestone, becoming the first company ever to achieve a $3 billion market cap. Its annual revenue has also been consistently growing, as is reflected below:

YearRevenue ($bn)
200619.1
200724.4
200837.4
200942.7
201065
2011108
2012156.3
2013170.8
2014182.6
2015233.6
2016215.4
2017229
2018265.4
2019260.1
2020274.3
2021365.8
2022394.2
2023 (Q1-3)293.8

Source: Apple

Apple’s Annual Revenue by Region

Apple has always enjoyed its largest popularity in the US. The American region is accountable for 45% of all revenue generation. In Q2 2022, the Americas brought in net sales of $40.88 billion. Approximately 40% of the revenue comes from the United States alone. Europe and China are two other major markets for Apple, as is evident from the table below. . Americas brought in net sales of $39.81 billion in the fourth quarter of the company’s 2022 fiscal year.

Apple’s Revenue by Region, from 2015 to 2022 ($bn)

YearAmericasEuropeChinaJapanRest of the Pacific
201593.850.358.715.715
201686.649.848.516.913.6
201796.636.851.615.344.1
201811262.451.921.717.4
2019116.960.242.621.517.8
2020124.568.640.321.419.6
2021153.389.368.328.426.3
2022169.6693.174.1925.9929.37

Source: Statista

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iPhone Statistics

As Apple’s most popular and valuable product, the iPhone has been the company’s main source of revenue since 2008, a year after its launch. Apple’s invention of Watch and AirPods did not diminish the attractiveness of its iPhones. iPhone still accounts for 50% of the company’s revenue.

Despite its unflagging popularity worldwide, iPhone has not shown a consistent increase in revenue. Apple had double-digit year-on-year iPhone growth from 2008 to 2015. From then to 2021, however, revenue stalled. The last year proved to be a breakthrough for iPhone: there was a significant jump in its sales, which brought revenue up by 39%. In the 2022 fiscal year, Apple surpassed $200 billion in iPhone revenue for the first time, hitting $205 billion.

In the first quarter of fiscal 2023, iPhone revenue was $65.78 billion, compared to the $68.78 billion analysts thought Apple would earn in this sector. The figure registers an 8.17% drop year over year. The challenging macroeconomic environment affected iPhone sales, Mac sales, and sales of wearables like the Apple Watch.

The table below reflects the uneven trajectory of iPhone revenue:

iPhone Revenue from 2008 to Q1 FY2023 ($bn)

YearRevenue ($bn)
20081.8
200913
201025.1
201145.9
201278.6
201391.2
2014101.9
2015155
2016136.8
2017141.2
2018166.2
2019142.3
2020137.7
2021191.9
2022184.37
2023 (Q1)65.78

Sources: Statista

iPhone Sales

The table below demonstrates that there has always been a direct correlation between iPhone revenue and its sales. Like its revenue, iPhone sales followed an upward trajectory between 2008 to 2015. Then, like revenue, sales decreased between 2016 to 2020, pushed down by fierce competition and the boycott of Apple’s products in China.

In the fourth quarter of 2022, known as a holiday quarter, Apple sold 2 million iPhones to India, which helped boost sales growth by 18% on a quarter-on-quarter basis. In Q4 2022, the iPhone 14 series caught 59% market share, followed by iPhone 13 series at 32% share. In 2021, Apple’s iPhone shipments in India during the same quarter increased by 8% on a year-over-year basis and 44% sequentially after Apple shipped 1.7 million units.

Yet, although Apple’s iPhone business pushed sales by over 9% annually, it disappointed analysts’ expectations. Annually, however, Apple did better than other makers of smartphones. In 2022, the company clocked in its highest-ever shipment share of 18%. Its revenue share also topped the revenues of other companies, reaching 48% of the entire smartphone market. Apple’s operating profit share skyrocketed to a staggering 85%.

At the end of fiscal 2022, several factors negatively influenced Apple’s sales of the iPhone. The most damaging of them were weeks-long issues with iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max production that carried over to Black Friday and made the iPhones unavailable to consumers.

Another culprit on which Apple’s CEO blamed poor sales was the challenging microeconomic environment. Inflation increased Apple products’ prices, especially outside the United States. For many people, iPhones thus became simply unaffordable. In the first quarter of fiscal 2023, sales of iPhones slipped 8% to $65.8 billion.

iPhone Annual Sales from 2008 to Q1 FY2023 (mm)

YearSales (mm)
200811.6
200920.7
201039.9
201172.3
2012125
2013150.2
2014169.2
2015231.2
2016211.8
2017216.7
2018217.7
2019157.2
2020196.9
2021242
2022223
2023 (Q1)65.8

Sources: Statista

iPhone Sales by Region

iPhone has always been an incredibly popular smartphone in the United States and Europe. Americans and Europeans have been purchasing iPhones with nearly unwavering devotion.

In China, by contrast, sales have consistently fallen since 2015. Trump’s trade war on China and export blacklisting of Huawei were responsible for Chinese citizens’ boycotting of Apple’s products. By 2019, it had become embarrassing to use iPhones in mainland China. In his letter to Apple investors published in 2019, Tim Cook squarely put the blame for “over 100 percent of [Apple’s] year-over-year worldwide revenue decline” at China’s doors. The tide in China turned for Apple only in 2021, when iPhone sales received a boost in the country.

iPhone Sales by Region from 2015 to 2021 (mm)

YearUSEuropeChinaJapanRest of World
201570.333.971.21538.8
201662.934.658.314.640.2
201769.336.851.615.344.1
201874.838.244.814.946.1
201965.736.331.414.839.6
202073.337.334.917.741.2
202184.356.142.917.840.9

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iPhone Usage

People around the globe prefer iPhones over Androids for several reasons, the most crucial of which is security. Information security companies agree that Apple devices are more secure than Android ones. Forbes reported once that 97% of smartphone malware targets Android phones. Another reason why people are drawn to the iPhone is its ease of use. All the apps on the iPhone are launched from the home screen, and all the settings are found under one menu. As it is generally considered that only the wealthy can afford an iPhone, people also feel good about themselves when buying an Apple smartphone. Thanks to the iPhone’s usability, advanced security, and prestige, Apple adds more active iPhone users every year. It is estimated that at the beginning of 2022, over a billion people in the world used iPhones. At the beginning of 2023, there were 1.74 billion iPhone users worldwide.

The table below reflects an upward trend in the number of active iPhone units since 2008:

Total Number in Active iPhone Units from 2008 to Q1 2023 (mm)

YearUnits (mm)
200810
200925
201060
2011115
2012206
2013329
2014442
2015569
2016710
2017814
2018888
2019948
20201042
20211231
20221570
2023 (Q1)1740

Source: Forbes

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iPad Statistics

Lovers of the iPhone eagerly awaited the appearance of the iPad on the market once its launch was announced in 2010. Therefore, its introduction to the public was an immediate success, adding $19 billion to Apple’s revenue in the first year. Once the iPad Mini was launched in 2013, iPad sales jumped even higher. As about 97 million people immediately rushed to buy the iPad Mini, 2013 has so far remained the record year for Apple. Then, Apple’s iPad revenue reached the highest mark of $31.9 billion. Apart from that peak year, iPad revenue has remained between $18 to nearly $30 billion. In the 2022 fiscal year, iPad brought in $29 billion, down from $31.8 billion in fiscal 2021.

In the fourth quarter of 2022, iPad revenue reached $7.17 billion, missing estimates of $7.94 billion. In Q1 2023, the revenue was down by 13.06% year-over-year. Overall, in the 2022 fiscal year, iPad brought in $29 billion, down from $31.8 billion in fiscal 2021. The first quarter of fiscal 2023 presented a brighter picture. iPad celebrated its strongest quarter since 2014, and Services broke $20 billion for the first time. iPad brought the company $9.4 billion this quarter, up 30%. Tim Cook announced that Apple hit 2 billion active devices for the first time, adding that over half of iPad customers and two-thirds of Apple Watch buyers were new to the platforms at the beginning of 2023.

This trend is seen in the table below:

iPad Annual Revenue from 2011 to Q1 2023 ($bn)

YearRevenue ($bn)
201119.1
201230.9
201331.9
201430.2
201523.2
201620.6
201719.2
201818.6
201921.2
202023.7
202131.8
202229.284
2023 (Q1)9.4

Sources: Statista

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iPad Sales

The first year of the pandemic proved to be highly profitable for the company, partly because of a notable increase in iPad sales. In 2020, people bought 57% more iPads than in 2019, needing them for working and learning from home. Apple CEO Tim Cook remarked then that the company had “the strongest product line-up in both Mac and iPad that [it] ever had.” During the second quarter of 2022, Apple shipped about 12.6 million tablets worldwide, showing growth in comparison to the first quarter of 2022.

The fourth quarter of 2022 proved to be challenging for the company. Apple’s iPad was hampered by supply issues and decreased 10% year-over-year, becoming the company’s most minor individual line of business. The iPad brought in $29.2 billion for the year, down from the $31.8 billion in sales Apple saw in 2021. Supplies were constrained, and iPad lost some of its popularity. To attract customers’ attention to its product, Apple refreshed the iPad Air in March but failed to introduce a new design, concentrating on adding an M1 chip. iPad sales dipped sharply to under $7.2 billion versus nearly $8.3 billion a year earlier.

In the first quarter of fiscal 2023, the tide changed for iPad. Its performance was more impressive. The primary catalyst for the rise of iPad sales was the launch of several new iPad products in October 2022. The 10th generation iPad came in four colors, and the new iPad Pro was equipped with Apple’s novel M2 chip. Boosted by the release of this relatively inexpensive model, iPad sales grew nearly 30% year-over-year to $9.4 billion.

These figures are presented in the table below:

iPad Annual Sales from 2011 to Q1 2023

YearSales (mm)
201132.3
201258.1
201397
201467.9
201553.8
201645.5
201743.7
201843.5
201945.2
202071.1
202157.8
202246.4
2023 (Q1)9.396

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Apple’s Achievements in 2022

The tech giant released some valuable additions to its products in 2022. Far from inventing innovative devices, Apple tried to keep existing elements and added new spins to them. It introduced functional upgrades to take its previous innovations to a higher level. In March 2022, it brought to people’s attention a wide range of devices, the most notable of which became the iPad Air 5. The M1 chip, the most powerful and fastest Mac chip, was inserted into the relatively affordable iPad and boosted its efficiency.

Another memorable event of 2022 was the introduction of the M1 Ultra chip. Exclusive to the all-new Mac Studio, this computer offers an unrivaled powerful version of the M1 Pro and M1 Max. WWDC22 is also noteworthy. In 2022, Apple launched the first developer betas for iOS 16, iPadOS, macOS Ventura, and watchOS 9. By upgrading its operating system, Apple gladdened the hearts of many customers with these products.

Although 2022 was devoted mainly to software releases, there were still significant, eagerly expected, new launches. People worldwide were offered the iPhone 14 Pro, MacBook Air M2, Mac Studio, and Apple Watch Ultra.

Apple’s creative strategies will push it forward in 2023. Analysts expect iPhone 15 Pro to be effectively updated. Customers can finally applaud the debut of the highly anticipated mixed-reality headset. They can welcome, in 2023, the new Mac Mini, iMac, Mac Pro, MacBook Air 15, and MacBook Pro 14/16 models. And considering Apple’s inventiveness, it may also be that it will surprise its users, treating them to devices they did not see coming at all.

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Conclusion

Apple has long been the most formidable company in the technology sector. Its products are well-loved by global consumers, and Wall Street seems to favor the company over other tech giants. Apple’s 5G iPhone continues captivating people’s minds, and there is no predicting what new fascinating product Apple is going to pull out of its hat next. Seeing how consistently Apple stock has outperformed over the last three years, analysts foresee a brilliant future for the company. While AAPL is trading at $163.62 at the time of writing, a general consensus is that its shares might reach $330 by 2025. Investors expect that whatever it does, Apple will always have a major advantage over its competitors because it has knowledge, power, wealth, and a clear vision of the future, and, so well-equipped, will be able to make a bold, successful move in any direction it chooses.

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Apple Inc.: Our Modern-Day Symbol of Knowledge, Power, and Wealth (2024)
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