Apple has become the world's first public company to be worth $US1 trillion.

The company edged over the $US1 trillion mark as it continued to gain after its strong quarterly earnings report earlier this week.

Started in the garage of co‑founder Steve Jobs in 1976, Apple has pushed its revenue beyond the value of the economies of most developed countries.

Its market value is more than five times the value of the New Zealand economy.

The Silicon Valley stalwart's stock has surged more than 50,000% since its 1980 initial public offering.

One of three founders, Jobs was driven out of Apple in the mid‑1980s, only to return a decade later and rescue the computer company from near bankruptcy.

That signalled the start of the company's transition from a computer company to a device maker.

[Source:Radio NZ]