On April 20, Apple will host a product launch event, and at least a new iPad Pro is expected. The Apple Maven looked at recent history to see how the stock performed after the past Apple Events.
A new Apple Event lurks around the corner. Beyond the curiosity for what new products will be unveiled, investors will also pay attention to how Apple stock will behave. Below, the Apple Maven reviews how the previous events affected share price behavior in 2020.
The effect of Apple events on the stock
- Apple’s “One More Thing” – November 30, 2020:The highlight of the event was Apple’s introduction of the M1-equipped MacBook Air, 13‑inch MacBook Pro and Mac mini. In the following three months, the stock climbed 23%, reaching all-time highs by January 2021.
- Apple’s “Hi, Speed” – October 13, 2020:The Cupertino company introduced the highly anticipated iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro with 5G connectivity, MagSafe accessories, and the HomePod mini. This could be considered the main event of the year, since the iPhone is Apple’s key revenue driver. However, the stock dropped 4% between the iPhone launch and the “One More Thing” event.
- Apple’s “Time Flies” – September 15, 2020:In this action-packed event, the Apple Watch Series 6, Apple Watch SE, the new iPad Air and iPad, Apple Fitness+ and Apple One were introduced. Apple stock climbed 4% in the six weeks between “Time Flies” and “Hi, Speed”.
- Apple’s WWDC – June 22, 2020: In the2020 version of the Worldwide Developers Conference, updates to iOS, iPadOS, watchOS and macOS Big Sur were announced. Very importantly, Apple’s introduction of the M1 chip also took center stage. The conference was hosted online for the first time, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the following 3 months, Apple shares climbed an impressive 50% to its early September peak.
What about the next Apple Event?
At least in 2020, Apple stock performed generally well in the days following the company’s events – although it is hard to establish causation with much certainty. Investors who bought shares ahead of the key dates, except for “Hi, Speed”, saw decent gains in a short period.
But will the upcoming event guide the stock higher this time?
The Apple Maven doubts that the iPad, the likely star of Tuesday’s announcements, will be a game changer for Apple stock the same way that the iPhone or new products in mixed reality and autonomous vehicles could be. But it is important for Apple to keep the momentum going in the tablet business, taking advantage of trends in work-from-home and tablet-as-a-PC.