Investment bank Wedbush: Foldable screen iPhone leads Apple Inc. (AAPL.US) into a year of hardware innovation, maintaining an "outperform" rating.

Investment bank Wedbush Securities stated before the annual Global Developers Conference (WWDC26) of Apple Inc. (AAPL.US) that 2026 is shaping up to be a "significant" year for product releases. The analysts at the firm said, "Apple Inc. has always been committed to launching new products to meet the growing demand in the market for hardware devices with AI capabilities. This includes a series of new products released earlier this month, which have stronger processing power and more memory, aimed at preparing Cupertino for the upcoming AI era." The analysts noted, "We have observed from the supply chain investigation that the company may be in the late stages of developing a foldable screen phone, the iPhone Fold. It is rumored that this model will be released later this year along with the iPhone 18 in September, providing an additional catalyst for its hardware revenue growth. We also note that the company continues to drive its innovation engine through more upcoming Mac products, with rumors widely circulating about a touch-screen MacBook to facilitate developers in improving app testing and functions." The firm maintains an "outperform" rating on Apple Inc. with a target price of $350. Recently, Apple Inc. has released the iPhone 17e, new iPad Air, new MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, new Studio Display monitor, MacBook Neo, and the latest AirPods Max 2. Considering the recent news surrounding Siri, Wedbush expects this year's WWDC to be highly anticipated. The analysts wrote, "After the lackluster performance of last year's WWDC following the release of 'Liquid Glass' and no updates on AI dynamics, we expect Apple Inc. to delve deeper into the progress of AI in June. After delaying this core release last year, Cupertino needs to deliver a successful AI strategy. We expect Apple Inc. to discuss integration with Gemini, how Alphabet Inc. Class C will power its underlying models, related to Apple Inc.'s AI services, including a personalized Siri with better personal context and screen-aware capabilities." The Apple Inc. Global Developers Conference (WWDC) is scheduled to take place from June 8 to June 12, with the keynote address kicking off at 1 PM Eastern Time on June 8.