Hong Kong Stock Concept Tracking | Apple develops thinner iPhone models, Guo Lian welcomes another catalyst (with concept stocks)

According to Zhitong Finance and Economics APP, on June 17th, the consumer electronics sector collectively strengthened, with the Apple industrial chain leading the way. High Electronics (01415) rose by over 9%, BYD Electronics (00285) rose by nearly 6%, and Luxshare Precision (002475.SZ) rose by 7.71%. In terms of news, it was revealed that Apple (AAPL.US) is developing a thinner iPhone model, which aligns with previous rumors about the new iPhone 17 Slim model. The iPhone 17 Slim is rumored to feature a completely new design and be thinner than other iPhone models. Related concept stocks include High Wealth Electronics, BYD Electronics, Sunny Optical Technology (02382), AAC Technologies (02018), and Tongda Group (00698).

It is reported that the thinnest iPhone currently is the iPhone 6 released by Apple in 2014, with a thickness of only 6.9mm. However, the upcoming iPhone 17 set to be released next year may break the "thinnest" myth held by the iPhone 6 for many years. According to previous leaks, Apple will introduce a "Slim" model in the iPhone 17 series, focusing on a thin and large-screen flagship to replace the current "Plus" model. In terms of core configuration, the Slim version and the standard version of the iPhone 17 are the same and will not have Pro-level configurations. In addition to the iPhone 17 Slim, Apple is also developing thinner versions of the MacBook Pro and iPad Pro than the current products, gradually expanding across the entire product line.

In addition, it is worth noting that on June 11th, Apple held the first day keynote speech of WWDC2024, introducing the personalized intelligent system Apple Intelligence. The company also updated operating systems such as visionOS/iOS/iPadOS/macOS. It is reported that the core capabilities of Apple Intelligence include text-to-text, text-to-image, cross-app interaction, and personal context understanding, and it needs to use Open AI ChatGPT-4o as a cloud backup model, equipped with most of the existing AI functions, but there is no disruptive technological innovation, repositioning itself at the starting line of generative AI.

According to Apple's introduction, with the support of Apple Intelligence, Siri, originally known as "artificially stupid," has become almost omnipotent, with custom AI-generated "Genmoji," intelligent erasers, and GPT-4o access functions, among others, which are very powerful. According to Mark Gurman, when the iPhone 16 series was released, it was only equipped with the "beta version" of Apple Intelligence, and some heavyweight AI new features are expected to be launched in 2025 In addition, in the first quarter, Apple continued to maintain its leading position in the global device ecosystem market, accounting for 36% of global smart device revenue. However, according to the latest data released by research firm Counterpoint Research, Huawei's HarmonyOS's share in the Chinese market increased from 8% in the first quarter of 2023 to 17% in the first quarter of 2024, while iOS's share decreased from 20% to 16%. Huawei's HarmonyOS surpassed Apple's iOS for the first time in the Chinese market, becoming the second largest operating system in China.

At the same time, the latest data shows a sharp increase in the shipment of smartphones in China, with approximately 3.5 million units coming from foreign brands, with the majority being iPhones. Based on this calculation, Bloomberg estimates that iPhone shipments in April this year increased by 52% compared to the same period last year when 2.3 million iPhones were shipped. After a sharp decline in the first two months of this year, iPhone shipments rebounded in March.

Analysts believe that the decline of the iPhone in China may be coming to an end, as consumers have shown greater interest in upgrading to new devices in a recent survey. Bloomberg analysts Steven Tseng and Sean Chen stated: "The continuous decline in iPhone's market share in China may soon stabilize, as our latest survey shows that after being replaced by Huawei, Apple is once again becoming the favorite smartphone brand for Chinese consumers."

According to a research report from Huatai Securities, on June 11, 2024, Apple held the first day keynote speech of WWDC 2024, introducing the personalized intelligent system Apple Intelligence, and the company also updated operating systems such as vision OS/iOS/iPadOS/macOS. According to the data released by the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, foreign mobile phone shipments (mainly Apple) in April increased by 52% year-on-year. Apple actively stocked up in the Chinese region and offered discounts during the 618 period, while global Apple sales may be supported by the story of switching to new devices driven by AI applications. It is recommended to pay attention to the production volume data of new Apple devices in July and August, as well as the forecast for Apple's shipments this year.

Related Concept Stocks:

Goertek Inc.: Analysts previously stated that Goertek Inc. may be mainly responsible for supplying camera modules required for Apple's MR headsets.

BYD Electronic: As early as 2012, BYD started OEM production for Apple, producing iPhones and other electronic products such as iPads.

Sunny Optical Technology: Market reports indicate that Sunny Optical has been continuously cooperating with Apple in the AR/VR field, and the company has officially entered the iPhone camera lens supply chain.

AAC Technologies: Since becoming an official supplier to Apple in 2010, AAC Technologies has provided Apple with iPhone crisis microphones, high-spec audio components, and more Tongda Group: The company is a one-stop service provider for the shells of consumer electronic products, mainly designing and producing shells and related products for consumer electronics such as mobile phones, laptops, and electrical appliances. The company has become a core supplier to Apple due to its support for Apple's three-proof and precision structural components