Apple Inc. (AAPL) perpetual market

Apple is one of the most valuable companies in the world, built around the iPhone and the ecosystem of hardware, software and services surrounding it. Founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne, it helped launch the personal computer era with the Apple II and Macintosh, then transformed after Jobs's 1997 return with the iPod, the 2007 iPhone and later the iPad, Apple Watch and AirPods. The iPhone remains its core profit engine, but Apple has increasingly leaned on high-margin services such as the App Store, iCloud, Apple Music and payments to diversify revenue and deepen customer lock-in. Known for tight integration of hardware and software, premium design and a fiercely loyal user base, Apple designs its own chips and controls much of its stack. Now led by Tim Cook, it is a bellwether of consumer technology and among the largest constituents of major US indices.