iPhone maker might finally be catching up in the AI race.

📈 Apple Breaks Records Again

• Apple stock AAPL hit a fresh all-time high at a $4.2 trillion valuation, or $286.19 a share, extending a seven-day winning streak – its longest since May – as traders rediscover their favorite mega-cap comfort stock.
• The rally comes just days after the company’s AI chief departed, suggesting investors have officially stopped doom-scrolling Apple Intelligence critiques. Sentiment has quietly flipped from “late to AI” to “maybe not that late.”
• Momentum remains strong as shares have climbed 16% since Oct. 10, showing how quickly Wall Street forgives when the charts look good.

📱 iPhone Sales Drive the Momentum

• As usual, Apple’s fate is spelled i-P-h-o-n-e. Positive early data on the iPhone 17 lineup has bolstered expectations for a strong holiday quarter.
• Analysts now forecast 11% iPhone sales growth this quarter – rare oxygen for a hardware cycle many wrote off.
• A strong iPhone cycle tends to smooth over investor doubts in other divisions, from services to the company’s slow-burn AI rollout.

🤖 AI Narrative Starts to Stabilize

• Despite criticism of Apple’s AI debut, investors are warming to the idea that Cupertino can catch up – not by racing, but by rolling out AI where it matters most: the device ecosystem.
• Apple Intelligence may not have wowed at launch, but the company’s tight integration strategy still positions it to scale faster once the foundation is right.
• For now, the rally suggests a simple truth: when Apple stock decides to go up, the market rarely argues – even if the AI story is still cloudy around the edges.