Apple turns 50 with its biggest AI test still ahead

Wedbush has a $350 terms people connected the stock. The question is whether WWDC delivers what past year's didn't.

Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL, XETRA:APC) marks its 50th day connected April 1, and Wall Street is focused connected what comes adjacent much than what came before.

Wedbush expert Dan Ives maintained an 'outperform' standing connected the banal this week, with a $350 terms people against a existent stock terms of $252.89. The thesis rests little connected the milestone than connected 2 near-term catalysts: a hardware rhythm loaded with AI-capable devices, and a WWDC successful June that Apple cannot spend to flub again.

Five decades, 1 installed base

Apple was founded successful 1976. It has since sold 1.5 cardinal iPhones and built an ecosystem of 2.5 cardinal iOS devices worldwide. The institution that astir went bankrupt successful the precocious 1990s is present the largest publically traded institution successful the world.

Its exemplary diverged from rivals early. Where others sold hardware, Apple controlled the full stack: chips, software, retail, and services. That determination built the competitory presumption that inactive defines the institution today.

A hardware year

Wedbush describes 2026 arsenic a important merchandise motorboat year. Apple has already announced caller devices with stronger processors and expanded memory, some designed to tally AI applications on-device.

Supply concatenation checks suggest the institution is successful precocious improvement connected a foldable iPhone, expected alongside the iPhone 18 successful September. A touchscreen MacBook is besides circulating arsenic a rumour, aimed astatine developers who privation to trial apps straight connected the display.

Each adds to hardware revenue. None resolves the bigger question.

What WWDC has to answer

Apple's developer league past twelvemonth produced a ocular plan update called Liquid Glass and nary meaningful AI announcement. Investors took note.

This June, Wedbush expects Apple to item the Siri overhaul pulled from past year's schedule. The updated adjunct is expected to usage Google's Gemini arsenic its instauration model, with amended idiosyncratic context, improved on-screen awareness, and tighter integration crossed third-party apps.

New developer tools and updated APIs are besides expected, built astir on-device quality and Apple's established privateness architecture. Wedbush projects an AI subscription work by 2027.

The numbers

Wedbush forecasts Apple's full-year gross astatine $461.5 cardinal for fiscal 2026, up from $416.2 cardinal successful 2025. Earnings per stock are projected astatine $8.50, against $7.46 past year. The $350 terms people implies astir 38% upside from existent levels.

The banal trades astatine 29.8 times guardant net connected those estimates.