Apple shares climbed to fresh record highs this week as investors bet that surging demand for the new iPhone 17 lineup will power Apple to its strongest year of iPhone sales on record in 2025. The rally caps a months-long turnaround for the tech giant, whose stock had lagged other mega-cap peers earlier in the year before the iPhone 17 cycle reignited growth expectations.
Record on Wall Street
Apple’s stock has been trading around the mid‑$280s, setting new all‑time closing and intraday highs after a seven‑day winning streak and a gain of more than 65% from its 52‑week low in April. Market-data providers note that the recent run is one of Apple’s strongest stretches of the year, with the company among the most actively traded names in both the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq 100 during the move higher.
The stock is now up double digits year‑to‑date and has erased its earlier underperformance versus other big tech names, helped by optimism that hardware demand and a broader devices upgrade cycle are finally turning in Apple’s favor.
iPhone 17 demand soars
Industry researchers say the iPhone 17 family is on track to deliver record shipments, with forecasts pointing to roughly 243–247 million iPhones sold in 2025, enough to push Apple ahead of Samsung in global smartphone shipments for the first time in about 14 years. Early sales data indicate that iPhone 17 demand is running well ahead of last year’s iPhone 16 cycle, with double‑digit percentage gains in the first weeks after launch in key markets such as the United States and China.
Analysts attribute the strength to a combination of a major redesign, new “iPhone Air” and Pro‑tier models, and a wave of customers finally upgrading devices bought during the pandemic surge, all of which is feeding through to higher shipment and revenue estimates for Apple’s current fiscal year.
Analysts lift targets and outlook
Brokerage firms and research houses have been steadily upgrading Apple shares, arguing that the iPhone 17 cycle could deliver one of the company’s strongest upgrade years in recent memory. One firm recently lifted its price target to around $290, citing evidence of stronger pre‑order backlogs and shipping wait times for iPhone 17 models compared with last year’s lineup, while others say the latest data supports upside to earnings forecasts into 2026.
At the same time, some analysts warn that the stock’s valuation already reflects a lot of good news, pointing to a rich earnings multiple and cautioning that any stumble in iPhone 17 demand or next year’s iPhone 18 cycle could spark volatility after such a strong run.
Strategy, AI and what’s next
Beyond the current sales surge, investors are watching how Apple weaves more artificial intelligence features and new form factors into future iPhones, with reports suggesting plans for a lower‑priced iPhone 17e, a foldable device, and a broader Siri upgrade roadmap later in the decade. Market researchers expect Apple to hold on to the top spot in global smartphone shipments at least through the late 2020s, helped by a vast base of older iPhones that are due for replacement and by expansion into lower‑premium price tiers in emerging markets.
For now, the combination of record‑high shares and record iPhone 17 demand has put Apple back at the center of the market’s growth story, with the upcoming holiday quarter seen as the next key test of whether this upgrade cycle can fully justify the company’s newly minted valuation highs.
