{"id":79393,"date":"2026-05-01T16:11:35","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T20:11:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/?p=79393"},"modified":"2026-05-01T16:14:22","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T20:14:22","slug":"apple-ai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/2026\/05\/01\/apple-ai\/","title":{"rendered":"Apple: Super Intelligent on AI"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Stocks raged higher this week, driven by huge earnings beats from tech giants. So let's get into this week's big stories:<\/p>\n<h2><strong>1. Put Some Respect on Apple's Name<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>For a while, it was hard to escape stories about <strong>Apple<\/strong> (AAPL) supposedly falling behind because it wasn't doing enough in AI.<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-79402\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-3.39.01-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"738\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-3.39.01-PM.png 738w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-3.39.01-PM-300x183.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-3.39.01-PM-150x91.png 150w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-3.39.01-PM-80x49.png 80w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-3.39.01-PM-220x134.png 220w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-3.39.01-PM-164x100.png 164w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-3.39.01-PM-246x150.png 246w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-3.39.01-PM-390x238.png 390w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-3.39.01-PM-681x415.png 681w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 738px) 100vw, 738px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Yet with Thursday's earnings report, we learned that iPhone and Mac demand is still booming.<\/p>\n<p>Even without the company ramming AI features down our throats.<\/p>\n<p>Remember, as anyone with a semi-functioning brain knows, you can run AI apps on Apple's fantastic hardware.<\/p>\n<p>Like Mac Minis, which are hugely popular for running local AI agents like OpenClaw.<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Everyone is Scalping Mac Minis for OpenClaw\u2026 Here\u2019s the Workaround\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/lJbPPeH_nWU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>I've never met a single human being that stopping using an iPhone or Mac because of a lack of AI functionality.<\/p>\n<p>As an Apple shareholder, I hope new CEO John Ternus stays the course by focusing on great products.<\/p>\n<p>And partner with companies like <strong>Alphabet<\/strong> (GOOGL), OpenAI, and Anthropic where it makes sense.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>2. SanDisk Flashed Before My Eyes<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>SanDisk<\/strong> (SNDK) reported another beyond shocking earnings beat on Thursday, and the stock is now up 363% year-to-date.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-79403\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-3.45.57-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"961\" height=\"669\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-3.45.57-PM.png 961w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-3.45.57-PM-300x209.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-3.45.57-PM-150x104.png 150w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-3.45.57-PM-768x535.png 768w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-3.45.57-PM-80x56.png 80w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-3.45.57-PM-220x153.png 220w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-3.45.57-PM-144x100.png 144w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-3.45.57-PM-215x150.png 215w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-3.45.57-PM-342x238.png 342w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-3.45.57-PM-596x415.png 596w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-3.45.57-PM-700x487.png 700w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-3.45.57-PM-855x595.png 855w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 961px) 100vw, 961px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>That makes it the top stock in the <strong>S&P 500<\/strong> and Nasdaq 100 by a country mile.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Intel<\/strong> (INTC) is #2 with a 166% gain.<\/p>\n<p>AI data centers are sucking up flash memory way faster than it can be made, so prices are up exponentially.<\/p>\n<p>I have a 2-terabyte SanDisk SSD drive I got in 2023 for $180. Storage\/memory prices are &#8220;supposed&#8221; go to down over time. But a similar new one would cost me $320.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, I ignored <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/2026\/05\/01\/jr-romero-sandisk-is-going-up\/\">JR Romero's brilliance on this stock<\/a><\/strong><\/span> and sold it in April.<\/p>\n<p>So when the results flashed across my screen, I felt a little sick inside.<\/p>\n<p>I have been following markets for decades and I've never seen earnings beats this big:<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-79397\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-1.43.55-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1372\" height=\"408\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-1.43.55-PM.png 1372w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-1.43.55-PM-300x89.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-1.43.55-PM-1024x305.png 1024w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-1.43.55-PM-150x45.png 150w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-1.43.55-PM-768x228.png 768w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-1.43.55-PM-80x24.png 80w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-1.43.55-PM-220x65.png 220w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-1.43.55-PM-250x74.png 250w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-1.43.55-PM-280x83.png 280w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-1.43.55-PM-510x152.png 510w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-1.43.55-PM-750x223.png 750w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-1.43.55-PM-975x290.png 975w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-1.43.55-PM-1190x354.png 1190w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1372px) 100vw, 1372px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>And before you ask, <strong>Nvidia<\/strong> (NVDA) isn't even close, at least during its AI era.<\/p>\n<p>Nvidia's biggest EPS beat in the past few years was Q2 of 2024, when it beat by 29%.<\/p>\n<p>SanDisk just beat by 60%.<\/p>\n<p>Crazy stuff.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>3) The Semiconductor Chart That Guarantees FOMO<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Stanley Druckenmiller once said \u201cPut all your eggs in one basket and then watch that basket very carefully.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Now look at the semiconductor basket:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-79398\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-1.49.26-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"957\" height=\"665\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-1.49.26-PM.png 957w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-1.49.26-PM-300x208.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-1.49.26-PM-150x104.png 150w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-1.49.26-PM-768x534.png 768w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-1.49.26-PM-80x56.png 80w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-1.49.26-PM-220x153.png 220w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-1.49.26-PM-144x100.png 144w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-1.49.26-PM-216x150.png 216w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-1.49.26-PM-343x238.png 343w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-1.49.26-PM-597x415.png 597w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-1.49.26-PM-701x487.png 701w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-1.49.26-PM-856x595.png 856w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 957px) 100vw, 957px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Over the past 10 years, SMH has compounded at 36% per year, thanks to huge gains in stocks like <strong>Nvidia<\/strong> (NVDA), <strong>Broadcom<\/strong> (AVGO), <strong>Taiwan<\/strong> <strong>Semi<\/strong> (TSM), and <strong>AMD<\/strong> (AMD).<\/p>\n<p>SMH has outperformed SPY by over 6-fold, and was kicking butt even before the AI spending boom.<\/p>\n<p>And note: SMH is up 42% this year even though SanDisk is not in the ETF!<\/p>\n<p>By the way, do you know what sector is up even more than SMH?<\/p>\n<h2><strong>4. Oil Service Is the True 2026 King<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The <strong>VanEck Oil Services ETF<\/strong> (OIH) is now up 56% this year:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-79400\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-1.57.06-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"958\" height=\"668\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-1.57.06-PM.png 958w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-1.57.06-PM-300x209.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-1.57.06-PM-150x105.png 150w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-1.57.06-PM-768x536.png 768w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-1.57.06-PM-80x56.png 80w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-1.57.06-PM-220x153.png 220w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-1.57.06-PM-143x100.png 143w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-1.57.06-PM-215x150.png 215w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-1.57.06-PM-341x238.png 341w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-1.57.06-PM-595x415.png 595w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-1.57.06-PM-698x487.png 698w, https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-1.57.06-PM-853x595.png 853w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 958px) 100vw, 958px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>As you probably know, this is thanks to the massive spike in oil prices following the invasion of Iran. And before that, the removal of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.<\/p>\n<p>Higher oil prices mean more potential oil projects get the green light.<\/p>\n<p>Plus, the greater the US' influence on the world's energy infrastructure, the more business there is for oil service companies.<\/p>\n<p>Just a few days ago, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/energy\/companies-dust-off-oil-rigs-storage-venezuela-contracts-are-overhauled-2026-04-27\/\">Reuters<\/a><\/strong><\/span> reported that oilfield service companies are dusting off equipment that was laying dormant in Venezuela.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>5. Sentiment Is Neutral<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The latest AAII Sentiment Survey shows that 38.1% of investors are bullish.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pbs.twimg.com\/media\/HHK7w73WMAAk6iy?format=png&name=900x900\" alt=\"Image\" \/><\/p>\n<p>This is smack-in-the-middle neutral, and a decline from last week's bullish 46.0% reading.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, in the options market, traders are leaning optimistic. The CBOE equity put\/call ratio has been around 0.50 this week, signaling modest demand for put options.<\/p>\n<p>This is healthy to see.<\/p>\n<p>Equity markets roared back to life in April with 10%+ gains.<\/p>\n<p>But market participants are not going all-in.<\/p>\n<p>That means there's still cash on the sidelines.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Stocks raged higher this week, driven by huge earnings beats from tech giants. So let&#8217;s get into this week&#8217;s big stories: 1. Put Some Respect on Apple&#8217;s Name For a while, it was hard to escape stories about Apple (AAPL) supposedly falling behind because it wasn&#8217;t doing enough in AI. Yet with Thursday&#8217;s earnings report, we learned that iPhone and Mac demand is still booming. Even without the company ramming AI features down our throats. Remember, as anyone with a semi-functioning brain knows, you can run AI apps on Apple&#8217;s fantastic hardware. Like Mac Minis, which are hugely popular for running local AI agents like OpenClaw. I&#8217;ve never met a single human being that stopping using an iPhone or Mac because of a lack of AI functionality. As an Apple shareholder, I hope new CEO John Ternus stays the course by focusing on great products. And partner with companies like Alphabet (GOOGL), OpenAI, and Anthropic where it makes sense. 2. SanDisk Flashed Before My Eyes SanDisk (SNDK) reported another beyond shocking earnings beat on Thursday, and the stock is now up 363% year-to-date. That makes it the top stock in the S&#038;P 500 and Nasdaq 100 by a country mile. Intel (INTC) is #2 with a 166% gain. AI data centers are sucking up flash memory way faster than it can be made, so prices are up exponentially. I have a 2-terabyte SanDisk SSD drive I got in 2023 for $180. Storage\/memory prices are &#8220;supposed&#8221; go to down over time. But a similar new one would cost me $320. Of course, I ignored JR Romero&#8217;s brilliance on this stock and sold it in April. So when the results flashed across my screen, I felt a little sick inside. I have been following markets for decades and I&#8217;ve never seen earnings beats this big: And before you ask, Nvidia (NVDA) isn&#8217;t even close, at least during its AI era. Nvidia&#8217;s biggest EPS beat in the past few years was Q2 of 2024, when it beat by 29%. SanDisk just beat by 60%. Crazy stuff. 3) The Semiconductor Chart That Guarantees FOMO Stanley Druckenmiller once said \u201cPut all your eggs in one basket and then watch that basket very carefully.\u201d Now look at the semiconductor basket: Over the past 10 years, SMH has compounded at 36% per year, thanks to huge gains in stocks like Nvidia (NVDA), Broadcom (AVGO), Taiwan Semi (TSM), and AMD (AMD). SMH has outperformed SPY by over 6-fold, and was kicking butt even before the AI spending boom. And note: SMH is up 42% this year even though SanDisk is not in the ETF! By the way, do you know what sector is up even more than SMH? 4. Oil Service Is the True 2026 King The VanEck Oil Services ETF (OIH) is now up 56% this year: As you probably know, this is thanks to the massive spike in oil prices following the invasion of Iran. And before that, the removal of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Higher oil prices mean more potential oil projects get the green light. Plus, the greater the US&#8217; influence on the world&#8217;s energy infrastructure, the more business there is for oil service companies. Just a few days ago, Reuters reported that oilfield service companies are dusting off equipment that was laying dormant in Venezuela. 5. Sentiment Is Neutral The latest AAII Sentiment Survey shows that 38.1% of investors are bullish. This is smack-in-the-middle neutral, and a decline from last week&#8217;s bullish 46.0% reading. Meanwhile, in the options market, traders are leaning optimistic. The CBOE equity put\/call ratio has been around 0.50 this week, signaling modest demand for put options. This is healthy to see. Equity markets roared back to life in April with 10%+ gains. But market participants are not going all-in. That means there&#8217;s still cash on the sidelines.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":67239,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-79393","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79393","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=79393"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79393\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":79406,"href":"https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79393\/revisions\/79406"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/67239"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79393"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=79393"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.t3live.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=79393"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}