The $1,999 Duo price came in below many expectations, with Morgan Stanley saying Apple appears focused on driving adoption rather than maximizing near-term margins. <\/p>\n
Higher memory costs remain a margin concern, with Rosenblatt and Jefferies stating that Apple may be prioritizing sales volume over profitability. <\/p>\n
Retail sentiment turned bullish on Stocktwits, as investors reacted positively to the Duo. <\/p>\n
Apple’s first foldable iPhone Duo drew mostly positive reactions from Wall Street following its debut on Wednesday, though some analysts questioned the device’s appeal. <\/p>\n
At the time of writing on Thursday afternoon, Apple shares were trading nearly 3% higher. <\/p>\n
See what 10M+ investors are talking about. Get the Stocktwits Daily Rip for what retail is watching right now, free to your inbox<\/a> <\/p>\n Analysts Weigh Duo’s $1,999 Price <\/p>\n Morgan Stanley: At $1,999, the foldable iPhone Duo launched below many investor expectations of $2,300-$2,500 and $1 below Samsung’s Galaxy Fold7, Morgan Stanley wrote in a note on Thursday. “Apple is prioritizing adoption rather than maximizing near-term economics,” the firm added, according to a CNBC report. <\/p>\n JPMorgan: The brokerage said Apple’s fall product launch largely aligned with its base case of a $100 like-for-like increase, taking the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max to $1,199 and $1,299, respectively, according to TheFly. The firm added that Apple “walks the fine balance” between absorbing memory costs and maintaining the opportunity for a positive volume cycle. JPMorgan maintained an Overweight rating on Apple. <\/p>\n UBS: The firm said Apple’s “Surprise and Shine” event largely met expectations, with the $1,999 foldable iPhone Duo marking a significant form-factor shift. UBS said the $100 Pro and Pro Max price increases balance higher memory costs without risking the demand pressure of a larger hike. UBS has a Neutral rating and a $296 price target on Apple, implying around 6% downside from Wednesday’s close. <\/p>\n Margin Concerns Remain <\/p>\n Rosenblatt: The brokerage maintained a Neutral rating on Apple with a $303 price target after the product launch, implying about 4% downside. The firm said Apple’s “light touch” on pricing could weigh on gross margins as memory costs rise. <\/p>\n Jefferies: With an Underperform rating and a $264 price target, the firm said Apple is worried about the volume impact of bigger price hikes and would like to protect volume at the expense of margin. Jefferies said prioritizing volume could give Apple supply-chain bargaining power. The price target implies 16% downside from Wednesday’s close. <\/p>\n Analysts See iPhone Growth Potential <\/p>\n Evercore ISI: It has an Outperform rating and a $365 price target, implying nearly 16% upside. The firm highlighted updates to Apple Intelligence and Siri AI, including Siri’s ability to find personal context across apps and provide customized responses. <\/p>\n Baird: The firm has an Outperform rating and a $330 price target (about 5% upside from Wednesday’s close), and said the iPhone 17 cycle was largely a success and that this year’s iPhone 18 cycle can build on that. <\/p>\n AAPL Stock: Stocktwits Retail Sentiment <\/p>\n On Stocktwits, retail sentiment for AAPL improved to ‘bullish’ from ‘neutral’ over the past 24 hours, while message volume rose to ‘high’ from ‘normal.’ <\/p>\n Retail investors also reacted positively to Apple’s foldable iPhone Duo. <\/p>\n One Stocktwits retail trader called<\/a> the reveal a “modern day Steve Jobs moment,” predicting that the stock could “climb slowly to $400” and urged others to buy. <\/p>\n Another retail investor said<\/a> they planned to upgrade from an iPhone 15 Plus to the new Duo, calling it a “snazzy new Duo iPhone” and highlighting the ability to stream cricket while managing their portfolio. <\/p>\n AAPL stock has gained nearly 19% year-to-date. <\/p>\n Also See: Apple Foldable iPhone Is Biggest Launch Since Watch, AirPods, Says Analyst \u2013 But Retail Thinks It’s ‘Too Expensive’<\/a> <\/p>\n For updates and corrections, email newsroom[at]stocktwits[dot]com. <\/p>\n Aveek Bhowmik has no position in any of the stocks mentioned in this article. StockTwits’ news team content is for informational purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. For more, see our editorial policy<\/a>. This article was originally published on StockTwits<\/a>. <\/p>\n Related: <\/p>\n S&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq End Lower As Surging Oil Raises Odds For A September Rate Hike \u2014 ORCL, ADBE, M, NVDA, UBER In Focus<\/a> <\/p>\n