Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggests that the upcoming WWDC26, commencing on June 8, is unlikely to derail the positive trajectory for Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) shares in the second half of the year, provided the market's core narrative regarding the company's AI potential remains credible.
In a social media post on Monday, Kuo, a well-known supply chain analyst, stated that his latest supply chain checks indicate Apple's business momentum will remain robust through year-end. This strength is expected to reinforce the market's central thesis: "If Apple is performing this well without significant AI integration, its prospects are even brighter once AI is fully implemented."
Focus of the Conference
Kuo emphasized that the true significance of WWDC26 lies not in the immediate stock reaction following the event, but in whether Apple can leverage the same underlying Gemini models as Google to surpass the latter in AI applications, intelligent agent workflows, and hybrid on-device/cloud experiences.
Underpinning the Bullish View
Kuo summarized the core logic for Apple bulls as a market consensus bordering on intuition: "Even if Apple is temporarily behind in AI, it will ultimately catch up and prevail." He believes this narrative, while having some vulnerabilities, has a high probability of holding at least through the end of 2026.
According to his analysis, WWDC26 will not alter the positive share price trend for the latter half of the year but will serve as a test for the durability of this bullish story. The key criterion will be whether Apple, using the same foundational Gemini models as Google, can achieve differentiation at the application level to deliver a superior AI user experience. An affirmative answer would help sustain the core narrative. A negative one, however, would suggest that Gemini sets a ceiling for Apple's AI capabilities, and the "Apple will ultimately win" narrative would begin to face increasingly stringent scrutiny—though this may not immediately translate into a bearish stock price trend.
In a separate preview report dated June 3, JPMorgan analyst Samik Chatterjee also highlighted the comprehensive overhaul of Siri as a central focus for the conference. He noted that Apple has unusually included the phrase "AI advancements" in its agenda, which analysts interpret as confidence in the timely delivery of these upgrades. Concurrently, expectations are rising for autumn product launches, including a foldable iPhone and touchscreen MacBooks, contributing to a generally heightened market outlook for Apple's product cycle in the second half of the year.
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