New York - Apple shares surged past $500 for the first time on Wall Street on Monday, powered by reports a new iPad may be unveiled next month.
Apple shares gained 1.86% during the day to close at $502.60 after hitting a record $503.83 shortly after the opening bell.
Apple shares passed $400 on July 26 and the California gadget-maker has displaced oil giant ExxonMobil to become the largest US company in terms of market value.
The Dow Jones-owned technology blog All Things Digital, citing unnamed sources, reported last week that Apple will unveil a new version of its market-leading iPad at an event in San Francisco in March.
Apple reported blockbuster quarterly earnings last month with net profit more than doubling to a record $13.06bn and revenue soaring to an all-time high of $46.33bn.
Shares of Apple have been rising steadily on the release of a string of hit products starting with the iPod in 2001, followed by the iPhone in 2007 and the iPad in 2010.