Apple becomes the first public company to be valued at three trillion dollars

Today Apple makes so much money that it can afford to pay 105 billion dollars (£83 billion) annually in investor dividends and repurchases of its own stock (Martyn Landi/PA)

Apple became the first publicly traded company to close a trading day with a three trillion dollar market value, marking another milestone for a technology juggernaut that has reshaped society with a line-up of products that churn out eye-popping profits.

Apple shares closed up 2.3% at $193.97  on Friday, bringing its market value to 3.04 trillion dollars.