2021 Predictions From Loup Ventures: Apple First Among FAANG, A Tesla Robotaxi, New Peloton Equipment

Loup Ventures has published its annual list of technology predictions for the new year with nine key points to look for in 2021 from the team of Gene Munster and David Stokman.

FAANG Predictions: The group of Facebook Inc FB, Apple Inc AAPL, Amazon.com Inc AMZN, Netflix Inc NFLX and Alphabet Inc GOOGGOOGL is often used as a market indicator for high-growth tech names and is the main theme of Loup's projections. 

Loup sees Apple as the top performer of the group in 2021, a prediction it got right in 2019 and is set to repeat in 2020.

“The accelerating digital transformation means more people are working and learning from home, providing a continued tailwind for the iPad and the Mac businesses,” according the tech venture capital firm. 

Apple launching AirTags and new services in 2021 is prediction No. 6 from the group. AirTags, which are attachable devices to help keep track of belongings, have been rumored for a while. 

Amazon is seen as another winner from the FAANG group, and Loup views the Jeff Bezos-led e-commerce company and Apple as apart from the others in the group, which is prediction No. 2. 

The Loup duo has modest expecctations for Google, Netflix and Facebook in 2021. 

Big technology companies could be proactive around regulatory challenges in 2021 after the antitrust lawsuits Google and Facebook saw in 2020, and this is another FAANG-related projection for 2021.

Related Link: Why Apple Could Emerge As Tesla’s First True Competitor

Will Tesla Launch Chaperoned Robotaxi Fleet? Full-self driving is in the works from Tesla Inc TSLA.

Loup believes Tesla will launch a chaperoned robotaxi offering in 2021 as it waits on regulatory approval for a full rollout.

By the end of 2021, FSD could be ready to take on competitors like Uber Technologies UBER and Lyft Inc LYFT.

“In the near-term, we don’t see this as a risk to Uber and Lyft,” Munster and Stokman said. 

New Peloton Equipment: One of the big stories in 2020 was Peloton Interactive PTON. Its stock is up over 400%.

Loup believes the company will launch a strength machine as its next product.

Munster and Stokman also expect a lower entry price for the Peloton bike, which now starts at $1,895.

Other Predictions From Loup: Loup sees 5G coverage and performance improving toward the end of 2021. Improvements bring 5G speeds of 200 mbps versus 35 mbps from 4G today. 

Zoom Video Communications ZM could continue its impressive 2020 into the new year with Loup’s prediction that the company will outpace the Street estimate of 38% revenue growth thanks to the work-from-anywhere movement continuing after the coronavirus. 

Video game streaming viewership is expected to rise in 2021. Twitch, owned by Amazon, saw 18.3 billion hours of viewership in 2020, a year-over-year increase of 68%. Loup sees this figure going up 25% in 2021 to 22.8 hours.

Watch an interview with Gene Munster on PreMarket Prep in the clip below, or listen to the podcast here. 

PreMarket Prep is a daily trading show hosted by prop trader Dennis Dick and former floor trader Joel Elconin. You can watch PreMarket Prep live every day from 8-9 a.m. ET Benzinga's YouTube channel, and the podcast is on Spotify, iTunes, Google Play, Soundcloud, Stitcher and Tunein.

Photo by Daniel L. Lu via Wikimedia.