The presentation of the latest iPhone did not initially whet investors' appetites. However, sales seem to be going strong since its launch. The Apple brand received a large number of pre-orders and subsequently asked suppliers to increase production. In several countries, queues formed outside stores and delays in delivery were reported in major cities.
As a result, several brokers are expressing optimism about iPhone sales. Wedbush Securities points out that, out of a global fleet of 1.5 billion iPhones, some 315 million units have not been replaced in four years. This pool could support growth: if the latest model confirms its commercial success, many users may be tempted to upgrade their devices sooner than expected. Wedbush has raised its forecast for next year from 10 million to 20 million units and is now targeting between 240 million and 250 million iPhones sold in 2026.
At the same time, the stockmarkets continue to rise. Investors don't want to miss the boat. This phenomenon is summed up by the acronym FOMO, which stands for Fear Of Missing Out. With this in mind, even though Apple is not at the forefront of AI and innovation, a (small) piece of good news can trigger a wave of buying. It is in this context that the stock is now close to its highs of last winter.
Apple is still lagging behind in terms of AI and no longer inspires the same sense of wonder as it once did when it was introducing groundbreaking innovations. Now, most of its launches are limited to incremental improvements: better cameras, more storage capacity, new features for greater speed, side buttons, refined designs, etc. In recent quarters, investors had lost sight of the brand's prospects. A month ago, we discussed the possibilities available to Apple to revive its growth.
This successful launch is good news. But it does not change the structural difficulties. The problems remain the same.
