If you invested $10,000 in Apple a decade ago here's how much you'd have following iPhone 18 launch
What would you say if you could chat to your younger self from 10 years ago? Would you warn your past self about that disastrous relationship, would you encourage yourself to make that leap into a new role earlier than you did, or would you advise against that awful tattoo on that drunken holiday with your friends?
There are all obvious hypotheticals, and while it's not good to live in a world of 'what ifs', we're kicking ourselves for not investing in some of the world's biggest companies earlier.
With Apple launching the new iPhone 18 lineup and folding iPhone Duo to much fanfare, there's a frustrating realization that we should've invested in the tech giant years ago.
Apple stocks soar in the past 10 years
We recently covered the story of one father who boasted about investing $2,800 for his daughter back in 2001, with it now ballooning to $65,161. There's the infamous tale of how NFL player Ron Gronkowski 'forgot' he'd invested $69,000 in Apple, which soared to $250,000 just two years later, or what about Forrest Gump being one of the world's richest people if he'd kept his (fictional) Apple investment?
Advert
As reported by The Motley Fool, Apple is one of the greatest stock stories ever told. Although it was once the most valuable company in the world in terms of market cap at one point, it's since slipped into second place as Nvidia has soared amid the AI boom.
Some investors apparently thought Apple stock had peaked a decade ago, but apparently not.
Over the past 10 years, Apple stock has climbed by more than 1,000%, and if you've reinvested your dividends, the total return is nearly 1,200%. Impressively, this makes it almost four times the S&P 500's total return.
A $10,000 investment in Apple stocks in 2016 would now be worth a whopping $129,000. That would involve you sticking with Apple through thick and thin while reinvesting your dividends, but turning $10,000 into $129,000 is quite an achievement.
The outlet knows that Apple is unlikely to face that kind of windfall again thanks to its current $4.6 trillion market cap, but still, it's said to offer value to long-term investors.
How have Apple stocks fared in 2026?
It's been a turbulent year for the stock market, with President Donald Trump's ongoing trade conflict and the war in Iran especially affecting the tech sector. There's also been the chip crisis of RAMageddon pushing up the prices of our favorite tech, although Apple seems to be sailing through.
Apple stock is described as 'robust' despite inflation, with its less capital-investment-intensive approach to AI apparently being the right choice.
2026 has seen Apple stock rise by 16%, which outperforms the S&P 500's climb of nearly 12%.
When asking whether it's 'too late' to invest in Apple, The Motley Fool highlighted its top 10 stock picks and didn't include the iPhone overlord.
Stocks have been trading at near $315 per share since the iPhone 18 reveal, but it's some way off the company's record high of $339.79 in July.
With Q3 FY2026 revenue reaching $109.42 billion and celebrating a 16.36% increase year-over-year, iPhone revenue has also risen by 22%, and Mac sales have leaped by 29%.
Some experts predict a new high of $362 per share thanks to the long-awaited Siri AI, so there could still be some gas in the tank for wannabe investors.