The financial world is watching closely as Apple (AAPL) prepares to host it’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) next week. The keynote address, scheduled for Monday at 1 p.m. ET,is anticipated to reveal new features and software updates. Market analysts are predicting a possibly modest movement in the tech giant’s stock following the event.

Options market data indicates expectations of approximately a 3.5% swing in either direction for Apple’s stock price by the week’s end. Based on the previous Friday’s closing price of $203.92,this could translate to a high of around $210.99 or a low of $196.85.

While Apple’s stock is currently about 19% lower than its starting point at the beginning of the year, it has somewhat recovered from the declines that followed President Trump’s April 2 tariff announcement. Recent weeks have seen the stock trading sideways, influenced by uncertainties surrounding the potential impact of tariffs on iPhone manufacturing and pricing.

WWDC and Stock History

Historically, Apple’s stock performance during WWDC week has been varied. Last year, when the company introduced its Apple Intelligence suite of AI capabilities, shares saw an increase of nearly 8%. In the preceding year, coinciding with the unveiling of the Vision Pro headset, the stock remained relatively flat. However, in 2022, the stock experienced a drop of roughly 5.6% when Apple presented new MacBook laptops and the iOS 16 operating system.

“Options market data indicates expectations of approximately a 3.5% swing in either direction for Apple’s stock price by the week’s end.”

Software Naming Convention Changes?

Reports from Bloomberg suggest that Apple might be considering a notable overhaul of its software naming conventions, potentially announcing the change at WWDC. The proposed system would unify all operating systems under the number 26,representing the year 2026,instead of using version-based numbering like iOS 18 and macOS 15. Bloomberg also indicated that Apple is considering opening its internal AI models to external developers, aiming to stimulate the creation of innovative AI-driven applications.

Most analysts maintain a positive outlook on Apple, with a consensus of “buy” ratings from nine brokers tracked by Visible Alpha, compared to two “hold” and two “sell” ratings. The average price target is approximately $228, suggesting a potential upside of nearly 12% from the stock’s closing price on Friday.