Investment firm Wedbush says that 2026 should be a key year for Apple with a new Siri, new Google Gemini deal, and new iPhone 18 range — but definitely not a new CEO.
Back in December 2025, Wedbush raised its Apple price target to $350, chiefly over iPhone demand plus the expectation that 2026 will bring a new Siri. Now in a new note to investors seen by AppleInsider, it retains that valuation, but is doubling down on how AI, iPhone demand, and also staff turnover will make for what it calls a monumental year for Apple.
While the detail of its new note to investors remains the same as in December, this time the firm's researchers have broken the analysis down into four key areas:
- Convert Google Gemini partnership
- Revamped Siri
- iPhone 18 sales
- Tim Cook staying as CEO
Wedbush notes that the last point about Cook is the opposite of what other analysts are saying. While it notes that the hiring of AI researcher Amar Subramanya is important, Wedbush does not see Cook leaving soon.
That's because it believes Tim Cook will continue to oversea Apple's moves into AI. Wedbush believes he will remain in post until at least the end of 2027.
Siri and Gemini
Describing Apple as having so far had an invisible AI strategy, Wedbush now believes that 2026 is the year it has to prove the worth of Apple Intelligence. Its analysts do believe Apple will achieve this, but that crucial to it are Siri and Google Gemini.
Wedbush expects that the long-awaited partnership between Google Gemini and Apple Intelligence will be an exclusive one. It also believes that the conclusion of the Department of Justice case against Google has cleared the last barriers to an announcement.
With Siri, Wedbush says that delivering a revamped version on time will be key. It expects the new Siri to be a direct answer toPerplexity and ChatGPT — and also to lead to an AI subscription service.
iPhone 18
Shortly after the launch of the iPhone 17 range, Wedbush increased its Apple price target from $310 to the then high of $320, because of demand. Now that the range has continued to prove successful, and particularly in China, Wedbush unsurprisingly predicts the forthcoming iPhone 18 range will also be successful.
That's in part because of what it describes as the tailwind from demand for the iPhone 17, but also because of expected changes to Apple's lineup. Wedbush agrees with previous speculation that Apple will launch an iPhone Fold in September 2026, and that this will increase demand.
Wedbush does also, however, expect that Apple will raise the price of the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max by approximately $100. That's because of rising component costs, and how Apple's deals for memory will be renegotiated in 2026.
Overall, Wedbush has told its investors that it believes the Street is underestimating Apple. It expects 2026 to be when the company turns AI into a success.
