Analysts at Wedbush said in a note to clients covering the tech sector on Friday that Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) remains its Top Tech Pick.
They claim in the note that the "'iPhone China demise narrative' was a great fictional story by the bears which is far from the reality." They add that underlying mainland China growth remains strong for the December quarter based on the firm's Asia supply chain checks and a key asset for the core iPhone franchise.
"Apple remains our Top Tech Pick with a strong iPhone 15 upgrade cycle playing out with a strong and no drama (vs. last December supply chain agita) holiday season, which appears humming into 2024 despite the growing noise and Huawei competition in China," they wrote.
"We also believe the Services business is now back to steady double-digit growth and is worth between $1.5 trillion to $1.6 trillion on a standalone basis," continued the analysts.
Overall, Wedbush feels that 2024 is the year for Apple to show iPhone growth again and "further monetize its golden installed base" that it has built.