Which technology company became the world's first ever firm to briefly touch a market valuation of around 800 billion dollars?

Introduction / Context:
This question refers to stock market milestones and corporate valuations. Technology giants such as Apple, Microsoft, Google, and Facebook have all reached very high market capitalisations over time. However, one company became the first in the world to briefly touch the landmark valuation level of about 800 billion dollars, which drew massive media attention.

Given Data / Assumptions:

We are asked which company was the first to briefly hit the 800 billion dollar market value mark.
The options are Google, Microsoft, Facebook, and Apple.
Market valuation here means stock price multiplied by total outstanding shares.
We assume the question is based on widely reported financial news from the time when this threshold was first crossed.

Concept / Approach:
The approach is to recall that Apple has repeatedly been mentioned as the first publicly traded company to reach certain market value milestones, first 700 billion dollars, then 800 billion dollars, and eventually 1 trillion dollars. While the other firms also grew rapidly, Apple maintained a lead in market capitalisation during that period, which is why financial newspapers highlighted its achievement.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that Apple's market capitalisation surged due to strong iPhone sales and investor confidence. Step 2: Financial news stories reported that Apple briefly crossed the 800 billion dollar mark, becoming the first company ever to do so at that time. Step 3: Google, through its parent Alphabet, and Microsoft also had very high valuations but reached these milestones later. Step 4: Facebook was still smaller in market value compared to Apple during that period. Step 5: Therefore, from the options given, Apple is the correct answer.

Verification / Alternative check:
Financial newspapers, magazines, and exam oriented business awareness notes emphasised that Apple became the first company to briefly cross the 800 billion dollar valuation before any other listed firm. They also tracked Apple's later journey towards the one trillion dollar mark. This consistent narrative across multiple sources confirms that Apple, not the other listed companies, is the intended answer.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Google, via Alphabet, is one of the most valuable tech firms but did not reach 800 billion dollars before Apple, according to the commonly cited timeline. Microsoft reclaimed the title of most valuable company in later years but joined these milestones after Apple had already crossed them. Facebook, though very large, historically lagged behind these two in overall market capitalisation and is not associated with being first at this level.

Common Pitfalls:
Some candidates may confuse later information where other companies became worth more than Apple and wrongly assume that the same firm was first at every threshold. Another pitfall is to assume Google or Microsoft were always ahead because of their early dominance in software or search. To avoid this, it helps to remember a simple pattern: Apple was highlighted as the first company to reach both 800 billion dollars and then one trillion dollars.

Final Answer:
The first company to briefly touch a market valuation of about 800 billion dollars was Apple.