Apple Launches New MacBook Pro and Air Models with M5 Chips
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Mar 03 2026
0mins
Should l Buy AAPL?
Source: Newsfilter
- New MacBook Launch: Apple has introduced new MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models featuring M5 chips, aiming to revive Mac demand, particularly targeting users still on older Intel systems.
- Price Increases: The new MacBook Air starts at $1,099, up $100 from before, while the 16-inch M5 Max MacBook Pro starts at $3,899, reflecting a $400 increase due to tight memory supply in the market.
- Performance Boost: The new MacBook Pro processes tasks nearly four times faster than M4 machines and maintains battery life, indicating Apple's push to establish the Mac as a credible platform for running advanced AI tools locally.
- Display Update: Apple has revamped its Studio Display lineup, with the base model starting at $1,599, catering to professional users while maintaining focus on high-end products, showcasing Apple's strategy to attract customers across multiple price points.
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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: 248.800
Low
239.00
Averages
306.89
High
350.00
Current: 248.800
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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- Discount Rate Setting: The model employs an 11% discount rate, derived from a 4.4% 10-year Treasury yield plus a 6% risk premium, ensuring the assessment reflects market risks and is grounded in realistic expectations.
- Growth Stage Assumptions: In the growth stage, Apple's earnings per share (EPS) is projected to grow at an annual rate of 15.20% for 10 years, based on historical EPS growth data from the past decade, highlighting the company's future growth potential.
- Terminal Stage Forecast: In the terminal stage, EPS is expected to grow at a rate of 4% over 10 years, ensuring this growth rate remains below the discount rate to facilitate convergence in calculations, indicating the company's long-term stability.
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- Intrinsic Value Assessment: According to GuruFocus's Discounted Earnings model, Apple's intrinsic value is estimated at $179.13, while its current trading price is $248.8, indicating a modest overvaluation with a margin of safety of -38.89%.
- Discount Rate Setting: The model employs an 11% discount rate, derived from a 4.4% 10-year Treasury yield plus a 6% risk premium, ensuring the assessment reflects market risks and is grounded in realistic expectations.
- Growth Stage Assumptions: In the growth stage, Apple's earnings per share (EPS) is projected to grow at an annual rate of 15.20% for 10 years, based on historical EPS growth data from the past decade, highlighting the company's future growth potential.
- Terminal Stage Forecast: In the terminal stage, EPS is expected to grow at a rate of 4% over 10 years, ensuring this growth rate remains below the discount rate to facilitate convergence in calculations, indicating the company's long-term stability.
See More
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- Investment Rating Reaffirmed: Melius Research reiterated its Buy rating on Apple, highlighting the company's free cash flow and the upcoming product rollout, suggesting a potential recovery in stock price, which reflects market confidence in Apple's future performance.
- New Product Launches: Apple recently announced the iPhone 17e, a refreshed iPad Air, new MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, along with new Studio Displays and AirPods Max 2, marking one of the most lucrative product launches since the big screen iPhones in 2014.
- Stock Performance: While Apple shares saw a modest increase in premarket trading, they have declined approximately 8% year-to-date; however, over the past 12 months, the stock has gained 12%, indicating market recognition of its long-term growth potential.
- Market Dynamics: As Apple approaches its 50th anniversary, it has garnered investor interest, particularly in light of its new product launches and strategic adjustments, which could positively impact its stock price.
See More
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- Cloud Revenue Decline: Huawei reported a 3.5% drop in external cloud computing revenue for 2025, falling to 32.16 billion yuan ($4.6 billion), indicating increased competitive pressure amid rapid global cloud market growth.
- Overall Revenue Stagnation: The company's total revenue for 2025 reached 880.9 billion yuan, up only 2%, while the growth rate of its ICT infrastructure segment slowed from 4.9% in 2024 to 2.6%, reflecting a deceleration in key business areas.
- Innovative R&D Investment: Huawei's R&D expenditure in 2025 hit a record 192.3 billion yuan, accounting for 21.8% of total revenue; however, the lack of significant revenue growth from its self-developed AI chips highlights challenges in achieving technological self-sufficiency.
- Automotive Business Slowdown: The intelligent automotive solutions unit generated 45.02 billion yuan in revenue for 2025, growing 72% year-on-year, but this is a sharp decline from 474.4% growth in 2024, suggesting that initial surges in the electric vehicle market are stabilizing.
See More
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- Investigation Launch: The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced a strategic market status (SMS) investigation into Microsoft's enterprise software ecosystem starting in May, aimed at addressing concerns over Microsoft's licensing practices in the cloud and ensuring a level playing field.
- Market Share Insights: The CMA's findings indicate that Microsoft and Amazon each hold a 30-40% share of the infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) market, highlighting their significant market power which may hinder competition from new entrants.
- Microsoft's Response: Microsoft has committed to working
See More
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- Merger Talks Progress: Unilever has confirmed it is in talks to merge with McCormick, with the deal expected to involve an upfront cash component of approximately $15.7 billion and the majority of consideration in McCormick equity, indicating strong interest in consolidation within the food industry.
- Stock Price Surge: Following the announcement, McCormick's shares rose over 3%, reflecting positive market expectations regarding the potential merger, which could enhance the company's competitive position and resource integration capabilities.
- Rating Upgrade Impact: Deutsche Bank upgraded Diageo from hold to buy, resulting in a nearly 3% stock price increase, as analysts noted that structural and cyclical headwinds in alcohol sales are already priced into the stock, indicating market confidence in its future performance.
- Strong Order Growth: Jefferies upgraded Amphenol from hold to buy, leading to a more than 2% increase in its stock price, with analysts highlighting strong order growth and solid margins, suggesting a positive outlook for the company's performance and growth potential.
See More
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- Surge in Capital Expenditures: The Magnificent Seven are projected to spend nearly $700 billion on capital expenditures in 2025, raising concerns among investors about the ability of these companies to deliver strong returns on such massive investments, which has contributed to declining valuations across the group.
- Lowest Valuation for Meta: Meta Platforms currently trades at less than 20 times forward earnings, with a projected 73% increase in capital expenditures for 2026 aimed at supporting AI infrastructure, although its advertising business could benefit from AI applications.
- Investor Confidence Wavers: Despite Meta's success in advertising revenue, investors are concerned about Zuckerberg's investment strategy in AI, particularly after significant losses in its metaverse division, highlighting the need for disciplined investment approaches.
See More
