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After 5 years, Apple's iPhone has generated $150B in revenue

This week marks the fifth anniversary of the launch of the first iPhone. Since then, Apple's smartphone is estimated to have generated the company $150 billion of cumulative revenues worldwide.

The first iPhone officially launched on June 29, 2007, making this Friday the official five-year anniversary. Recognizing the milestone, Strategy Analytics on Wednesday offered its latest statistics, noting that Apple has shipped 250 million iPhones cumulatively worldwide, generating $150 billion in cumulative revenues.

"The iPhone portfolio has become a huge generator of cash and profit for Apple," said Neil Mawston, executive director at Strategy Analytics. "A quarter of a billion iPhones have been shipped cumulatively worldwide in the first five years since launch and Apple reaches its fifth birthday at the top of its game."

While the first five years of the iPhone have been an undeniable success for Apple, propelling the company to become the largest in the world by market capitalization. But Mawston said the next five years could be more difficult for Apple, as the competition improves and some mobile operators become concerned about subsidies spent on the iPhone.

Currently, the iPhone is so popular that Apple sells more handsets per day than there are babies born in the world, according to VoucherCodes.co.uk. The retail outlet also noted that since the release of the iPhone, Apple's worldwide brand ranking has catapulted from 44th place to No. 1.


iPhone anniversary infographic via VoucherCodes.

The first iPhone was introduced in early 2007 by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs as three devices in one: a "revolutionary mobile phone," a "widescreen iPod," and a "breakthrough Internet communications device." Since then, the iPhone's upward trajectory has been consistent, as Apple continues to deliver record breaking quarters and sales continue to grow.

In the last quarter alone, Apple shipped 35.1 million iPhones, helping to propel the company to the 250 million milestone that Strategy Analytics believes the company has crossed ahead of the iPhone's five-year anniversary. In its last quarterly earnings conference call, Apple executives announced that more than 360 million iOS devices, including the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, had been sold to date.