Apple Launches New Hardware Lineup with Price Increases
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Mar 05 2026
0mins
Should l Buy AAPL?
Source: seekingalpha
- New Product Launch: Apple unveiled a range of new hardware this week, including the updated MacBook Air and MacBook Pro featuring the M5 chips, which offer four times the GPU computing power of their predecessors, significantly enhancing AI-enabled workflows.
- Price Increase Strategy: The new MacBook Air starts at $1,099 (up from $999), while the MacBook Pro is priced at $2,199 (up from $1,999), reflecting Apple's strategy to pass on rising memory costs to consumers, thereby improving its margin profile.
- Market Reaction: Despite a 3.5% decline in Apple shares over the past five sessions, Wedbush analysts maintain an Outperform rating with a $350 price target, indicating confidence in Apple's future performance amidst market uncertainties.
- Product Portfolio Optimization: Apple also introduced the updated iPhone 17e and iPad Air, which are expected to drive sales growth further, particularly as the company navigates memory price fluctuations while enhancing the average selling price (ASP) across its product lineup.
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Analyst Views on AAPL
Wall Street analysts forecast AAPL stock price to rise
27 Analyst Rating
17 Buy
9 Hold
1 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 255.630
Low
239.00
Averages
306.89
High
350.00
Current: 255.630
Low
239.00
Averages
306.89
High
350.00
About AAPL
Apple Inc. designs, manufactures and markets smartphones, personal computers, tablets, wearables and accessories, and sells a variety of related services. Its product categories include iPhone, Mac, iPad, and Wearables, Home and Accessories. Its software platforms include iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, visionOS, and tvOS. Its services include advertising, AppleCare, cloud services, digital content and payment services. The Company operates various platforms, including the App Store, that allow customers to discover and download applications and digital content, such as books, music, video, games and podcasts. It also offers digital content through subscription-based services, including Apple Arcade, Apple Fitness+, Apple Music, Apple News+, and Apple TV+. Its products include iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16, iPhone 15, iPhone 14, iPhone SE, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, Mac Pro, iPad Pro, iPad Air, AirPods, AirPods Pro, AirPods Max, Apple TV, Apple Vision Pro and others.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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- Technological Advantage: The AGI CPU from Arm is seen as a highly efficient chip tailored for specific inference tasks, which may attract more companies to adopt it, further solidifying its position in the AI chip market.
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- Market Reaction Uncertainty: Investors attempting to predict the Fed's interest rate direction often fail, as market reactions are unpredictable; ongoing economic uncertainties can lead investors to make detrimental decisions.
- High-Quality Companies' Resilience: High-quality firms like Apple (AAPL), which had $54 billion in net cash at the end of 2025 and reported a net income of $42.1 billion in Q1 2026, demonstrate strong financial health, making them less susceptible to Fed decisions.
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