Apple Expands Wearables Portfolio With New AirPods Max: What's Ahead?

Apple AAPL is expanding its Wearables, Home and Accessories portfolio with the launch of AirPods Max 2. The devices come at an opportune time as the iPhone maker faces stiff competition from the likes of Samsung, Alphabet GOOGL and Garmin GRMN. In the first quarter of fiscal 2026, Wearables, Home and Accessories sales of $11.49 billion decreased 2.2% year over year and accounted for 8% of net sales. The figure missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 5.72%.AirPods Max 2 offers features like Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness, Voice Isolation, and Live Translation for the first time. The Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) device is expected to gain adoption among podcasters, musicians, and content creators, with useful features like studio-quality audio recording and camera remote. Thanks to H2 and new computational audio algorithms, AirPods Max 2 deliver ANC, which is up to 1.5 times more effective than the previous generation.Apple’s Wearables, Home and Accessories sales have been benefiting from strong adoption of Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch Series 11, which offer a comprehensive set of health and wellness features to help users meet their health goals. AirPods 3 adoption has been noteworthy due to the rich immersive sound quality and unmatched level of ANC. In the first quarter of fiscal 2026, the wearables installed base reached a new all-time high, with over half of the customers purchasing an Apple Watch being new to the product.Apple Faces Stiff CompetitionAAPL is facing stiff competition from the likes of Alphabet and Garmin in the wearables domain. Alphabet’s Google Services business includes the Pixel family of devices. In 2025, Alphabet’s Google Services generated 85.1% of total revenues with revenues hitting $342.72 billion, up 12.4% from 2024. Alphabet is benefiting from accelerated growth across AI infrastructure, Google Cloud, and Search. Search is benefiting from AI Overviews and AI Mode, which have driven growth in overall queries. The launch of personal intelligence in AI Mode in search and the Gemini app bodes well for Alphabet’s prospects.  Garmin is benefiting from strong momentum across the Fitness segment, which is primarily attributed to advanced wearables demand. The Fitness segment has continued to grow over the last few years. It generated $765.8 million of sales (36% of total sales) in the fourth quarter of 2025, which was up 42% from the year-ago quarter’s level. Garmin’s expanding Venu and vivoactive smartwatch series, which boast new health and wellness features, including nap detection and enhanced sleep coaching, has been a positive.AAPL’s Share Price Performance, Valuation & EstimatesApple shares have dropped 6.5% year to date, underperforming the broader Zacks Computer and Technology sector’s drop of 3%.Apple Stock’s Performance Image Source: Zacks Investment Research The AAPL stock is trading at a premium, with a forward 12-month price/earnings of 28.83X compared with the broader sector’s 24.18X. AAPL has a Value Score of D.AAPL Valuation Image Source: Zacks Investment Research The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2026 earnings is pegged at $8.41 per share, unchanged over the past 30 days, suggesting 12.7% year-over-year growth.  Apple Inc. Price and Consensus Apple Inc. price-consensus-chart | Apple Inc. Quote Apple currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.Free Report: Profiting from the 2nd Wave of AI ExplosionThe next phase of the AI explosion is poised to create significant wealth for investors, especially those who get in early. It will add literally trillion of dollars to the economy and revolutionize nearly every part of our lives.Investors who bought shares like Nvidia at the right time have had a shot at huge gains.But the rocket ride in the "first wave" of AI stocks may soon come to an end. The sharp upward trajectory of these stocks will begin to level off, leaving exponential growth to a new wave of cutting-edge companies.Zacks' AI Boom 2.0: The Second Wave report reveals 4 under-the-radar companies that may soon be shining stars of AI’s next leap forward.Access AI Boom 2.0 now, absolutely free >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Apple Inc. (AAPL): Free Stock Analysis Report Garmin Ltd. (GRMN): Free Stock Analysis Report Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks