• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechThe Mobile Executive

Apple’s iOS Business Is Nearing a $1 Trillion Milestone

By
Don Reisinger
Don Reisinger
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Don Reisinger
Don Reisinger
Down Arrow Button Icon
January 12, 2017, 1:06 PM ET
Apple's New Big-Screen iPhones Draw Long Lines As Sales Start
Bloomberg Bloomberg via Getty Images

Apple is on pace to generate a cumulative $1 trillion in revenue from iOS-related products since the company introduced its first such device, the iPhone, in 2007, according to one analyst.

Apple’s total sales of iOS-based hardware like the iPhone and iPad, as well as from software like its cut of app sales through its App Store, will reach the milestone this year, Asymco analyst Horace Dediu wrote in a blog post on Wednesday.

He estimates that the iPhone, a device he calls “the most successful product of all time,” along with the iPad, iPod Touch, Apple Watch, and Apple TV, which all use a version of iOS, will combine for $980 billion in cumulative sales by mid-2017, around the time of the iPhone’s 10th anniversary of availability. Add another $100 billion in iOS services revenue, including Apple’s (AAPL) App Store sales and Apple Music subscriptions, and Apple will pass the trillion-dollar-mark for all iOS-related products.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter

The report comes just days after Apple celebrated the 10th anniversary of the iPhone’s unveiling on Jan. 9, 2007. At the time, late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs called the iPhone “revolutionary.” But whether he predicted that it would ultimately account for the lion’s share of a trillion-dollar business is unknown.

That said, it can be difficult to determine exactly how much revenue Apple has generated on each of its products. For instance, Apple has never announced Apple Watch sales, making any calculations about revenue from them a guessing game. It’s also worth noting that Apple keeps some of its revenue on the software side a secret. Earlier this year, Apple said that it’s paid $60 billion to developers since its App Store opened in 2008. But the company didn’t say how much money it kept.

The calculation does not include Apple’s Mac desktops, MacBooks, and accessories, none of which are iOS devices or related products.

Given those wrinkles, Dediu acknowledges in his blog post that some of his data points are estimates. Still, considering Apple has disclosed iPhone and iPad revenue for years, some of the information is reliable. Additionally, Apple has hundreds of billions of dollars in cash, grew much of it the proceeds of sales of iPhones and associated devices.

For more about iPhone, watch:

With $1 trillion in sight, Apple and others are now looking ahead to the second decade. Dediu, for one, offered some predictions on where Apple may take its business, including the iPhone, in the coming years.

“As we look toward the second decade of the iPhone, the expectation isn’t one of another ‘big bang’ but a process of continuous improvement,” he wrote. “The market is nearing saturation so the goals must be to capture more switchers from Android. Apple has achieved this with the Mac: survival, persistence and eventual redemption.”

Dediu went on to say that Apple might, in the next decade, focus its efforts on the “expansion of a network of ancillary ‘smart’ accessories.”

“The Apple Watch, the AirPods, Pencil and possible new wearables point toward a future where the iPhone is a hub to a mesh of personal devices,” he wrote. “The seamless integration of such devices is what has always set Apple apart.”

About the Author
By Don Reisinger
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
North America
'I meant what I said in Davos': Carney says he really is planning a Canada split with the U.S. along with 12 new trade deals
By Rob Gillies and The Associated PressJanuary 28, 2026
3 days ago
placeholder alt text
Politics
The American taxpayer spent nearly half a billion dollars deploying federal troops to U.S. cities in 2025, CBO finds
By Nick LichtenbergJanuary 28, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Right before Trump named Warsh to lead the Fed, Powell seemed to respond to some of his biggest complaints about the central bank
By Jason MaJanuary 30, 2026
12 hours ago
placeholder alt text
C-Suite
Jeff Bezos capped his Amazon salary at $80,000: ‘How could I possibly need more incentive?’
By Sydney LakeJanuary 28, 2026
3 days ago
placeholder alt text
C-Suite
Fortune 500 CEOs are no longer giving employees an A for effort. Now they want proof of impact
By Claire ZillmanJanuary 28, 2026
3 days ago
placeholder alt text
Investing
Jerome Powell got a direct question about the U.S. ‘losing credibility’ and the soaring price of gold and silver. He punted
By Eva RoytburgJanuary 29, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.


Latest in Tech

In this handout, the mug shot of Jeffrey Epstein, 2019.
PoliticsJeffrey Epstein
Elon Musk and Jeffrey Epstein emailed each other for years trying to meet up, new Justice Department records show
By Eva Roytburg and Sasha RogelbergJanuary 30, 2026
5 hours ago
Big TechThe Boring Company
After a decade of silence, Elon Musk’s tunneling startup and its reclusive president, are hitting the media circuit
By Jessica MathewsJanuary 30, 2026
8 hours ago
MagazineEducation
The 1966 cover of Fortune Magazine welcomed the Information age. Now the AI era beckons
By Indrani SenJanuary 30, 2026
9 hours ago
Gamestop
Big TechGameStop
Five years after the short squeeze, GameStop’s CEO is betting on a ‘genius or totally foolish’ $100 billion-plus acquisition
By Jake AngeloJanuary 30, 2026
10 hours ago
C-SuitePharmaceutical Industry
‘We’ll save the world from cancer’: Inside Pfizer CEO’s $23 billion post‑COVID bet on oncology
By Nick LichtenbergJanuary 30, 2026
11 hours ago
Sam Altman speaking into a mic.
AIOpenAI
A reported OpenAI IPO later this year may test investor tolerance for the AI boom’s cash bonfire
By Beatrice NolanJanuary 30, 2026
13 hours ago