10 Things Apple Investors May Wish For In 2021

Apple Inc AAPL shares have soared 80% thus far this year, and heading into 2021, investors may have the following 10 things as their Christmas wish list for the tech giant, according to Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives.

1. iPhone 12 becoming the ultimate supercycle, resulting in sales of over 240 million units in 2021.
2. Services business hitting an annual revenue run-rate of $65 billion in 2021 and remaining key to Apple's success and monetization story for years to come.
3. Acquiring a major studio to bolster its content efforts around Apple TV+ and its streaming ambitions; Sony Pictures, Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. Class A (NYSE: LGF-A) and A24 could be potential targets.
4. LiDAR tech in all 2021 iPhones, with double the current storage capacity.
5. An EV strategic partnership that lays the groundwork for foraying independently into the lucrative EV market.
6. Unveiling of Apple Glasses, its first augmented reality eyewear, at WWDC 2021.
7. Settling of litigation with Epic Games, with Fortnite returning to the App Store.
8. Contained Beltway and EU scrutiny pressure with more fines but no major business model changes; Investors are keen to have App Store maintain the 30% fee – a key to the Services business.
9. Ratcheting down of tensions between the U.S. and China, as Apple has a massive China footprint, from both a supply and demand perspective.
10. More success with Apple's in-house M1 chips across its hardware ecosystem and further transitioning away from Intel Corporation INTC chips to its own.

Ives rates Apple shares at Outperform with a $160 price target. The stock closed Wednesday at $130.96 per share.