Positive on Apple: premium refocus supports iPhone shipments reaching 260 or 270 million units; $2000 Duo sold out with a 3-month backlog. 18-series weakness from overlap is not a problem, as Apple shifts to higher average selling price/mix. AI/Siri is the growth engine, and Apple can keep profiting, become AI-focused.

Yes, it's a good day for Apple, especially when you look at the performance of many other technology stocks. What Apple has done is really refocus itself in the premium category.

Therefore, we are already seeing Apple shipments potentially reaching 260 or 270 million units.

Much of that is trending towards the premium category, or at least the mix is leaning in its favor. The " Duo" device comes at just the right time for this to happen.

As I mentioned, it's a phone that costs $2000 for the basic version. However, the quantity ran out in minutes. The information we have is that there is a backlog of orders for approximately 3 months.

So, we might see a fairly good size , but it doesn't compare to the sizes of other iPhones.

Foldable phones are in a different category. But it falls within that special group. There doesn't seem to be any hesitation in buying this particular phone or this design.

I had a friend here on the trading floor, a trader, who used to say: Never short Apple stock in the fourth quarter. It hasn't been that long since we were talking about the Apple ecosystem, has it?

The new television, spotlights, doorbell, cameras you can use , and thermostats. There was a lot more we could continue to see with Apple.

Will the "Due" device , being an expensive luxury item , affect sales of the "18 Pro"? Because the "Pro" version now has shorter waiting periods , perhaps 4 days, compared to the previous year.

So, perhaps they have a greater interest in the " Duo" version, or is there something wrong ? Do shorter waiting periods mean greater availability and fewer buyers?

There is a rather interesting story here, and we have seen reports that the guidelines for manufacturers regarding the 18-inch "Pro" and " Pro Max" phones have been asked to back down a bit.

Firstly, yes, I think there is some overlap. Some people who would normally have bought an 18" "Pro" or " Pro Max" phone are switching to the "Duo," so you are seeing some decline there.

This is not a problem for Apple. It is clear that they are simply moving to a higher average selling price, or changing their product mix slightly. This will not affect their bottom line.

Revenues will remain strong. It's simply a change in the mix. Therefore, you may see some weakness in the 18 series because of that.

The other thing, as you may recall, is that Apple decided to adopt a dual-launch strategy for the 18 series. The "Pro" and "Pro Max" versions are available immediately, while some mid-range models will be released in the spring.

So, I think some of the weakness or reports we are seeing about guidance to manufacturers and their partners to reduce some production volumes for this quarter is also related to this dual-launch timing.

Look, we still consider Apple to be an iPhone company, but there's a lot more that goes into Apple and contributes to its profits, right? I mean, they have all kinds of services and other growth engines.

Well, as you know, it's a platform company. It is a fully vertically integrated package . But I think the thing that really needs to be focused on, and I know I'll sound like a broken record like everyone else, is that it's still about artificial intelligence.

So, Apple Intelligence, the new Siri, and all those proxy-capable integrations with more autonomous, AI-oriented apps and experiences, that's definitely what you need to look at.

Because ultimately, the devices are powerful and reliable. She does really amazing things. And it looks great too. But it is still just a vehicle for all these AI-based services .

Therefore, expect Apple to continue to profit from this and transform into a company that focuses primarily on artificial intelligence .

With John Ternos taking office, you will certainly see more activity on the hardware side. I am very excited to see Apple finally refocusing its efforts on the smart home. I think it's an area where her efforts were somewhat weak before, and this is a very good direction for her.

I wouldn't be surprised if we started to see a greater focus on spatial computing, and if Apple's upcoming smart glasses collections were thinner, more cost-effective, less expensive , and more accessible to the public.

So, keep an eye out for that too. With this common thread of AI-based experiments.