After falling behind some of its erstwhile competitors, Apple (AAPL +0.37%) is back as the second most valuable company in the world, finally hitting the $4 trillion mark last week as Nvidia reached $5 trillion.
It's still trailing the S&P 500, which is up nearly 18% year to date, but it's finally gathering momentum, up 8%.
There were several positive updates last week that finally brought the market back on board with Apple stock. Investors were relieved that tariffs on goods brought in from China are going to be halved, and that Apple is committed to producing more goods in the U.S. But for the long-term view, there's something more important happening at Apple.
Image source: Getty Images.
The most popular phone in the U.S.
There are many smartphone makers today, but the iPhone is in a league of its own. According to Counterpoint Research, Apple models make up four of the top five best-selling smartphones in the U.S., including the top three. The top-selling model is the iPhone 16 as of June, but that might be changing with the release of the iPhone 17, which is already outselling it.
iPhone sales have been robust over the past two quarters, and they increased 6% year over year in the 2025 fiscal fourth quarter (ended Sept. 27). iPhone sales account for about half the company's total.
The iPhone 17 was released in the middle of September, so sales are mostly excluded from these results. But so far, according to early calculations, they have been solid. Counterpoint said that for the first 10 days it was on sale, iPhone 17 sales outperformed iPhone 16 sales in the U.S. and China, Apple's most important markets.
Indeed, management provided upbeat guidance for the 2026 first quarter, saying that company sales are expected to increase 10% to 12% driven by iPhone 17 sales. It also said that sales have been constrained by capacity, not demand, and that it was working hard to meet that demand. The current quarter is an important one for device companies like Apple, whose products are popular holiday gifts.
NASDAQ: AAPL
Key Data Points
Can Apple stock keep climbing?
The iPhone is still Apple's top product, and upgrades are keeping customers happy. Apple has received negative market sentiment for delays in Apple Intelligence, but Apple knows what its customers want and is delivering.
I see bright days ahead for the tech giant, and that starts with happy iPhone users.
