Apple has officially crossed a major milestone: more than 3 billion iPhones sold since the original launched in 2007. CEO Tim Cook revealed the number during Apple’s latest earnings call, highlighting the device’s lasting dominance in the smartphone industry. It took the company nine years to reach the first billion units in 2016, and just another nine years to reach three billion.
In the third quarter of 2025 alone, Apple posted $94 billion in total revenue, up 10% year over year, with the iPhone contributing $44.6 billion of that. That’s a 13% jump compared to the same quarter last year and nearly half of Apple’s total revenue, reinforcing the iPhone’s place as the company’s most profitable product. The Mac followed distantly behind with $9 billion, while services like iCloud and the App Store racked up $27 billion. Meanwhile, sales of the iPad, HomePod, and Apple Watch all dipped slightly.
Some analysts, including Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, believe this quarter’s spike in iPhone sales may have been driven by consumer panic. Rumors circulated that new U.S. trade tariffs under the Trump administration could push iPhone prices as high as $3,000 or more. That fear may have prompted a rush of early purchases, especially from buyers worried about being priced out later. Apple itself confirmed the impact of tariffs, noting they cost the company $800 million this past quarter and are projected to hit $1.1 billion next.
Looking ahead, Apple is preparing to unveil new iPhone models, likely in September. Among them is the rumored iPhone 17 Air — an ultra-thin device with a single camera, a 6.6-inch display, and a stripped-down A19 chip. It’s expected to be priced around $900, slightly higher than the base iPhone 16, and could debut Apple’s in-house modem. This model appears designed to match the Air branding found in Apple’s other hardware lines, and could mark a shift in how the company segments its smartphones going forward.
Despite strong sales, Apple is trailing behind Microsoft and Nvidia in market valuation, largely due to investor focus on artificial intelligence. While Apple has taken a slower approach to AI than its peers, Cook noted during the earnings call that the company is significantly expanding its AI investments. Apple also teased that future products — potentially including a long-rumored HomePod with a screen — will offer deeper AI integration.
As speculation grows about a post-smartphone future, with voice-first AI devices and wearables gaining attention, Apple is sticking to its message: the iPhone remains essential. Photography, messaging, payments, and productivity are still core use cases where the iPhone leads. And with 3 billion iPhones sold, it’s clear that Apple’s grip on its slice of the market isn’t going anywhere, even as the rest of the tech world races to reshape it.
