Apple reveals it has sold its billionth iPhone

27 Jul 2016

Apple CEO Tim Cook holds aloft the one-billionth iPhone to be sold. Image source: Apple

California tech giant Apple has revealed that it has sold its billionth iPhone. This comes just nine years after the company revealed the device that was going to transform computing forever.

At MacWorld in 2007, the late Steve Jobs did his infamous “and one more thing” trick, plucking from his pocket a glittering device that was set to rock the mobile world and knock Nokia and BlackBerry out of their respective ivory towers.

In the ensuing time, the iPhone has gone through several generations, culminating in the current iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, as well as the diminutive but powerful iPhone SE.

‘iPhone has become one of the most important, world-changing and successful products in history’
– TIM COOK, CEO, APPLE

The iPhone has been an incredible cash cow for Apple, resulting in years of non-stop revenue growth that was only checked for the first time this year. It is still contributing tremendous profits for the company.

In its Q3 results last night, Apple reported revenues of $42.4bn and a profit of $7.8bn after a quarter that saw 40m iPhones sold.

A revolutionary device

At an employee meeting in Cupertino today (27 July 2016), Apple CEO Tim Cook revealed that Apple has surpassed the crucial 1bn device milestone.

“iPhone has become one of the most important, world-changing and successful products in history,” said Cook.

“It has become more than a constant companion. iPhone is truly an essential part of our daily life and enables much of what we do throughout the day.

“Last week, we passed another major milestone when we sold the billionth iPhone.

“We never set out to make the most, but we’ve always set out to make the best products that make a difference. Thank you to everyone at Apple for helping to change the world every day.”

John Kennedy is a journalist who served as editor of Silicon Republic for 17 years

editorial@siliconrepublic.com