Why the Apple Stock Price Will Go Higher Despite the Noise (AAPL)

By David Zeiler, Associate Editor, Money Morning • @DavidGZeiler • September 4, 2014

A crazy week for Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) ahead of its much-anticipated iPhone 6 announcement next Tuesday took a 4.22% bite out of the Apple stock price yesterday (Wednesday).

But long-term AAPL investors need not worry, and not just because Apple stock was relatively flat in Thursday trading.

For all the commotion this week about hacked iCloud accounts, new products from rival Samsung, and negative comments from several Wall Street analysts, the fundamental reasons that the Apple stock price will continue to rise have not changed.

Editor's Note: The tech sector has performed very well, but the best is yet to come. Here's why the road to wealth is paved with tech stocks..

When you take a closer look at the Apple news that everyone has been obsessing over this week, it quickly becomes obvious that these events are not that big of a deal and their impact on the AAPL stock price will be short-lived.

Three Overhyped Apple Stock "Threats" to Ignore

• The Samsung Threat: In an attempt to steal Apple's thunder, Samsung had its own product unveiling event yesterday. But the South Korean electronics giant did not particularly wow anyone; most of the new products are nice upgrades, but not much more. That means nothing Samsung introduced yesterday is likely to change the Apple-Samsung dynamic, which of late has started to swing in Apple's favor. The company also declined to announce prices, or even when most of these new products will be available - meaning Samsung likely just wanted to grab some media attention but poses no real threat to Apple.

• The iCloud Scandal: The theft and public posting of dozens of nude photos of such actresses as Jennifer Lawrence and Kate Upton - images that were stolen from the celebrities' iCloud accounts - had many wondering if consumers (and investors) would lose their faith in AAPL. As bad as the theft is, however, it was not a system breach of the type suffered by Target Corp. (NYSE: TGT) last fall. The hackers tracked down their victims' Apple IDs and then used the "forgotten password" function, using personal information they found on the Internet to answer the security questions.  Even that took months, according the hackers. Apple already has put a limit on the number of password guesses customers can make, and more security measures are likely to come as a result of the incident. Simply put, it's a fixable problem - and Apple is fixing it.

• Apple Bears Growling: Finally, a bearish note from Andy Hargreaves of Pacific Capital Wednesday morning urging investors to sell AAPL stock may also have precipitated the sudden drop in the Apple stock price yesterday. Hargreaves also said he might downgrade the stock after the September event. Other analysts, such as Brian Kelly of Brian Kelly Capital, chimed in with predictions that the Apple stock price would soon plunge to $80. But these are merely the opinions of a vocal minority.

It's just as easy to get caught up in negative Apple hype as it is to get caught up in positive Apple hype - the historic volatility of Apple stock is testament to that.

But taking a step back and looking at the totality of Apple's business shows that the tech giant is poised for another growth spurt that will dramatically increase its revenue and profits over the next few years. 

In fact, given the trajectory of its current businesses, as well as the additive punch of several new areas Apple will soon enter, a market cap of $1 trillion by 2018 is a very attainable target.

Step by step, this is how AAPL stock will reach this milestone...

For updates on Apple stock and other technology news, follow me on Twitter @DavidGZeiler.

David Zeiler

About the Author

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David Zeiler, Associate Editor for Money Morning at Money Map Press, has been a journalist for more than 35 years, including 18 spent at The Baltimore Sun. He has worked as a writer, editor, and page designer at different times in his career. He's interviewed a number of well-known personalities - ranging from punk rock icon Joey Ramone to Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Wozniak.

Over the course of his journalistic career, Dave has covered many diverse subjects. Since arriving at Money Morning in 2011, he has focused primarily on technology. He's an expert on both Apple and cryptocurrencies. He started writing about Apple for The Sun in the mid-1990s, and had an Apple blog on The Sun's web site from 2007-2009. Dave's been writing about Bitcoin since 2011 - long before most people had even heard of it. He even mined it for a short time.

Dave has a BA in English and Mass Communications from Loyola University Maryland.

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