Product Owner Lessons and Investor Warnings from Apple’s Big Event

Apple once again proved in their “Awe-Dropping Event” that nobody stages a launch like they do. It’s pure theatre, and yet, it works. Here’s my breakdown of the event, through the lenses of a Product Owner and an Investor.

The Event

This is classic Apple. They’ve perfected the formula: photogenic, passionate people explaining how the world becomes better through these products. Vice presidents armed with numbers that are always 2× faster, 3× brighter, 5× longer-lasting. Sweeping cinematic shots of Cupertino. The marketing is so unapologetically cheesy that it crosses over into semi-authentic charm. Their showmanship is unmatched. They make us believe, again and again, that evolution is revolution.

Product Owner’s Take ⭐️

If you missed the event, here’s a quick summary video from Macrumors. Basically the event was about iPhones and wearables (watches and AirPods). Here’s what stands out when I map the new stuff into Kano buckets:

The new iPhones remind us that smartphone innovation is mostly incremental and thinness has become the new black. Fresh colors bring a playful twist and Bitcoiners will certainly celebrate that bold orange.

Real excitement comes from wearables where live translation and health-focused features create tangible value in everyday life. I have never owned an Apple Watch or AirPods but this release nudges me closer.

Some argue Apple is behind in AI. Personally I am not concerned. I trust their software architecture is flexible enough to allow rolling out AI features later.

Investor’s Take 📉

Apple’s stock (AAPL) soared for five years, but 2025 has already wiped out nearly 20% from the highs. Tariff tantrums, slowing demand, and geopolitics make for easy headlines, but the deeper truth is that we are late in the cycle. And it does not help that Apple’s CEO keeps bending the knee to Trump in a submissive way Steve Jobs would never have?

Macroeconomic risk is piling up. Jobs data has been massively revised down retroactively. Tariff tantrums are back. Liquidity is flooding into AI hype like it is the dot-com bubble all over again. In my view, we are already in recession. The Fed cannot save the day this time, and rate cuts into a recession are bearish rather than bullish. Meanwhile, geopolitical risk is rising and global leadership is absent. Are wedrifting into a hybrid version of WW3?

My view #NotFinancialAdvice: Apple’s storytelling may be awe-dropping, but narratives don’t matter when cycles take control. I expect 2026 to deliver a market crash that evolves into a multi-year bear market. I am not chasing Apple or the rest of the Magnificent 7. The real opportunities may lie in the boring but essential sectors: defense, energy, and healthcare. These are powered by geopolitical reality rather than marketing spin. AI euphoria will eventually fade. It will still produce a few winners, but the broader AI-investing outlook looks frothy.