So, what are you doing on Sept. 9?
That's the 252nd day of the year, meaning there are 113 days left before 2025 throws in the towel.
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It's National Teddy Bear Day as well as Wonderful Weirdos Day, although that could probably apply to every day of the week.
Sept. 9 falls on a Tuesday this year and media reports suggest that this could be a potential launch date for at least seven new Apple (AAPL) products.
The iPhone 17 series is expected to lead the announcements and be accompanied by multiple Apple Watch models and updated AirPods.
It's been a busy time for the computer giant.
A court in Germany ruled that Apple can no longer advertise its Apple Watch as its “first CO2-neutral product” in that country after a panel of judges determined the claim to be unfounded and in violation of the country's competition law, according to Reuters.
Analysts sees slim iPhone as main feature
An Apple spokesperson said the court ruling “broadly upheld our rigorous approach to carbon neutrality” and declined to comment on whether the company would appeal the ruling.
Meanwhile, Apple filed a lawsuit against Shi Chen, a former sensor system architect for the Apple Watch team, claiming he stole trade secrets and shared them with his new employer Oppo, the South China Morning Post reported.
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And then the Associated Press reported that Elon Musk's artificial intelligence startup xAI sued Apple and ChatGPT maker OpenAI in U.S. federal court in Texas, accusing them of illegally conspiring to thwart competition for artificial intelligence.
The complaint follows through on a threat that Musk made two weeks ago when he accused Apple of unfairly favoring OpenAI and ChatGPT in the iPhone’s app store rankings for top AI apps.
And now Teddy Bear Day is just around the corner.
“We expect the main feature to be the launch of a slim iPhone (iPhone 17 Air) to replace the current Plus model,” Bank of America Research analyst Wamsi Mohani said in an Aug. 25 research note.
“While prior form factor changes have driven a meaningfully higher next iPhone cycle, in our opinion, investor expectations for the benefit from a thin phone are more tempered,” he said.
Mohan, who reiterated his buy rating and $250 price target, said Apple is expected to announce the Apple Watch Series 11 and a new iPad mini among other items.
The analyst models iPhone unit sales growing 1% year-over-year in FY26 to 235 million units and calls this “mostly in-line” with Wall Street at 233 million.
“We expect the iPhone 17 line-up of four models (Pro, Pro Max, Air and base model) running on iOS 26,” he said.
“We expect the Air to be 5.55mm thick making it ultra-thin and light. It may have Apple's in-house modem (similar to the iPhone 16e). Apple could also launch Apple Watch Series 11 and/or Ultra 3, and Airpods 3.”
Fund manger: iPhone upgrade tied in with AI
Mohan said that he would be on the lookout for any further examples of AI integration and enhancements, including better integration with Apps and Siri.
“We will look for any signs of further integration of large language models for general queries,” he said.
Related: All the New Products and AI Services Coming From Apple in 2025
Chris Versace, TheStreet Pro portfolio's lead manager, believes that Apple's foldable phone would be a positive driver for the portfolio's position in Universal Display (OLED) , which makes organic light emitting diode technologies and materials.
Foldable devices require more display area than standard smartphones and Universal Display, which was named to Goldman Sachs' US Conviction List in June, could see increased material sales and patent licensing revenue from Apple.
“Our view that the current iPhone upgrade cycle would be tied to improvements in Apple Intelligence remains, and the forthcoming AI upgrade for Apple’s Siri voice assistant is a key issue,” Versace said.
“Earlier this year, Apple pushed out that expected 2024 event to 2026,” he added. “But it now appears Apple is at a crossroads — it can either power it with its own in-house Apple Foundation Models or pivot to using models from an outside provider.”
Versace said Apple has reportedly been in conversations about the latter with Google (GOOGL) , Anthropic PBC, and OpenAI.
“We all know that Apple is notoriously tight-lipped about its product roadmap, but with the formal release of iOS 26 in September, perhaps the management team will offer an update on its AI-powered Siri efforts as it debuts its newest iPhone model,” he said.
“That would be a nice development for Apple and potentially Google.”
But prior to the iPhone even, there will be revenue reports from Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM) and Foxconn, as well as August global search engine market share data.
“Based on what we see in those items and learn from upcoming investor conferences, we’ll look to revisit our AAPL and (GOOGL) price targets as warranted.” Versace said.
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