Morgan Stanley Sees Positive Signs in Apple's (AAPL) iPhone 17 Launch, Maintains Buy

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is one of the Must-Watch AI Stocks on Wall Street. On September 17, Morgan Stanley reiterated the stock as “Overweight” stating that its checks show that trends are mixed for Apple’s iPhone 17 lead times.

“iPhone 17 lead times are tracking in-line to higher Y/Y, but early iPhone supply is better Y/Y, meaning early iPhone 17 demand is likely up Y/Y (vs. flat FY26 shipment ests).

According to the analysts, “our iPhone 17 lead time analysis suggests that early demand for the iPhone 17 models is stronger than at the onset of the iPhone 16 cycle last year, a positive early indication that iPhone replacement cycles could be stabilizing and upgrade rates could be improving Y/Y.”

The firm further said that four days after pre-orders began, “the average iPhone 17 (incl Air) lead time in the US is ~15 days, up 7 days vs. last Friday when pre-orders started, and up 0.3 days (or 2%) vs. the same point in the iPhone 16 cycle last year.”

The analyst are also optimistic about a better production this cycle.

“Early iPhone 17 supply is more sufficient than last year, a testament to better Y/Y production yields and higher productivity in India, where Apple is building/shipping all new model iPhones at launch for the first time in history.”

Apple is a technology company known for its consumer electronics, software, and services.

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