Apple has been listed as "Leader" on the TIME's newly released list of the 100 Most Influential Companies of 2021, continuing the Cupertino tech giant's streak of dominating lists for the most influential and admired companies in the world.
TIME says that Apple's record-breaking holiday quarter, its growing selection of products and services, and the way it handled the global health crisis earned it a spot in this year's list.
During the holiday season, Apple raked in a record-breaking $111 billion, thanks in part to the uptick in remote work and schooling boosting its Mac and iPad sales. And that's just one way the Tim Cook–led, Cupertino, Calif., company was able to defy gravity in 2020, upsetting both the competition and its apparent partners. Among other moves, it launched a new Mac lineup with a plan to phase out its use of Intel processors for its own Apple-made designs based on its mobile devices. It debuted new iPhone models that caught up to the 5G-enabled competition, and added services like Apple Fitness+ to help keep people moving when they're indoors (and to compete with fitness companies like Peloton).
In February, Apple was crowned the world's most admired company by Fortune for the 14th consecutive year. Last year, Apple ranked in fourth for the largest American company. Moving forward, Apple is expected to continue to dominate lists of these kinds thanks to its rumored entry into different markets such as automotive and augmented reality.
