Michael Sikand
Investor, Autopilot Portfolio, Founder of Sikand Media
Apple's new foldable iPhone Duo could sell strongly. It is the biggest form change to the iPhone ever, launched under a new CEO, and Apple buyers who want a foldable to do serious work such as AI tasks are price insensitive. The market initially faded the launch before reversing; it would have been better positioned as a productivity device with keyboard compatibility. x.com x.com x.comÂ
Apple is a buy now on a strong holiday quarter ahead, its trusted brand and deep ecosystem integration, momentum from the foldable iPhone and an underrated future AI opportunity. x.comÂ
Apple will likely report its biggest sales ever in Q4 earnings and the stock should rip, even though the new foldable iPhone looks absolutely gross. x.comÂ
Apple's growth valuation gives too much credit to a $2,000 folding iPhone and a touchscreen MacBook. Its 36.16 forward P/E and 3.54 PEG are higher than recent readings over the past two years, making this a point to take serious profits. x.comÂ
Apple's balance sheet and lack of spend keep a bid under its stock whether the market rises or falls. That bid gets stronger with foldable phones that break. x.comÂ
Apple's Duo could spur a bigger upgrade cycle because its foldable form factor gives users a new reason to buy. It reportedly sold out within minutes, but Foxconn's roughly 60% assembly yield may exaggerate demand; sustained lead times as yields improve could support 2027 revenue. Early costs may pressure margins and local AI monetization remains unproven. Premium hardware and local AI could make Apple the world's most valuable company again. x.comÂ
Apple is a sell here because buybacks are replacing innovation while its share price is dangerously extended. It is not spending on AI, in cloud services, making robots or pursuing global WiFi; its VR, Siri chatbot and iCar efforts have failed. Its flip phone follows Samsung's, and AirPods have poor battery life and microphones. The share price has held up, but only for now. x.comÂ
Apple is a safe haven amid AI-stock volatility and will gain momentum if it persists over the next two weeks through the midterms. New products and another defensive day bring a momentum push toward $358, then $367 in November closer. x.comÂ
Apple's foldable iPhone Duo, a personal AI agent with a screen 50% larger than the Pro Max, should drive a big upgrade cycle next year. The precedent is the iPhone 6, whose move from a 4-inch to a 5.5-inch screen lifted revenue growth from 7% in FY14 to 28% in FY15. Apple shares gained 4% on the launch. Broader caution remains until the November 3 midterms, with the Fed hiking, weak September seasonality, elevated oil and multi-decade-high bond yields. x.comÂ
Apple's roughly 35x forward earnings premium looks unsustainable. If fear around the AI trade fades, its gains could stall or reverse. x.com x.comÂ
Apple's bull case is stronger than the bear case from higher memory prices, because 54% of iPhones will not support AI Siri. The motivation to buy a new device should outweigh price hikes. Fourth-quarter unit demand data is the thing to watch. x.com x.comÂ
