Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) has been a public company since 1981. It was founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne to sell early versions of the personal computer that was eventually known as the Mac.
Jobs, one of the most famous chief executive officers in American history, ran Apple from its founding until he was pushed out in 1995. He returned to the job in 1997 and ran it until his death in 2011. Since then, Apple has been run by CEO Tim Cook.
Apple pioneered a number of products and services that are currently used by billions of people around the world. These include the Mac, the iPhone (Apple’s flagship product, launched in 2007) and the iPad (released in 2010).
Apple launched the iTunes store in 2003, which pioneered the distribution of digital music. The current App Store distributes hundreds of thousands of apps for Apple hardware. These apps run from games to weather, news, social media and health. Over 1.8 million apps are available worldwide.
More recently, Apple has moved into the digital payments business with Apple Pay. It also has begun to sell TV hardware and has a streaming service: Apple TV+. Apple also sells advertising.
Apple has become the world’s most valuable company, with a market capitalization of $2.25 trillion, well ahead of second-place Microsoft, which is valued at $1.7 trillion. Last year, Apple’s revenue reached $260 billion. Net income against that was $55 billion.
Apple’s stock has split five times:
- June 1987: 2:1
- June 2000: 2:1
- Feb 2005: 2:1
- June 2014: 7:1
- Aug 2020: 4:1
Its stock price is currently about $133. That is up from $95 at the start of 2020 and $52 at the start of 2019. The shares have only dropped in 13 years since the company went public. Based on adjustments for splits, Apple’s share price was $0.10 in 1981.
Apple has been public so long that anyone who is 40 or younger has a birthday that matches a year when Apple’s stock traded. For those people, here is Apple’s stock price the year you were born:
| Year | Avg. Stock Price | Year Close | Annual Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $95.3468 | $132.6900 | 80.75% |
| 2019 | $52.0640 | $73.4125 | 86.16% |
| 2018 | $47.2634 | $39.4350 | −6.79% |
| 2017 | $37.6378 | $42.3075 | 46.11% |
| 2016 | $26.1510 | $28.9550 | 10.03% |
| 2015 | $30.0096 | $26.3150 | −4.64% |
| 2014 | $23.0661 | $27.5950 | 37.72% |
| 2013 | $16.8798 | $20.0364 | 5.42% |
| 2012 | $20.5732 | $19.0062 | 31.40% |
| 2011 | $13.0002 | $14.4643 | 25.56% |
| 2010 | $9.2801 | $11.5200 | 53.07% |
| 2009 | $5.2434 | $7.5261 | 146.90% |
| 2008 | $5.0707 | $3.0482 | −56.91% |
| 2007 | $4.5812 | $7.0743 | 133.48% |
| 2006 | $2.5290 | $3.0300 | 18.01% |
| 2005 | $1.6670 | $2.5675 | 123.26% |
| 2004 | $0.6344 | $1.1500 | 201.36% |
| 2003 | $0.3311 | $0.3816 | 49.12% |
| 2002 | $0.3418 | $0.2559 | −34.57% |
| 2001 | $0.3611 | $0.3911 | 47.20% |
| 2000 | $0.8163 | $0.2657 | −71.05% |
| 1999 | $0.5158 | $0.9179 | 151.14% |
| 1998 | $0.2729 | $0.3655 | 211.86% |
| 1997 | $0.1604 | $0.1172 | −37.09% |
| 1996 | $0.2225 | $0.1863 | −34.54% |
| 1995 | $0.3620 | $0.2846 | −18.27% |
| 1994 | $0.3043 | $0.3482 | 33.31% |
| 1993 | $0.3663 | $0.2612 | −51.04% |
| 1992 | $0.4893 | $0.5335 | 5.98% |
| 1991 | $0.4687 | $0.5034 | 31.13% |
| 1990 | $0.3354 | $0.3839 | 21.99% |
| 1989 | $0.3720 | $0.3147 | −12.44% |
| 1988 | $0.3709 | $0.3594 | −4.16% |
| 1987 | $0.3478 | $0.3750 | 107.41% |
| 1986 | $0.1449 | $0.1808 | 84.11% |
| 1985 | $0.0902 | $0.0982 | −24.46% |
| 1984 | $0.1197 | $0.1300 | 19.49% |
| 1983 | $0.1675 | $0.1088 | −18.38% |
| 1982 | $0.0855 | $0.1333 | 34.92% |
| 1981 | $0.1085 | $0.0988 | −35.17% |
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