Benzinga·2026-02-17 14:58Group 1: Apple’s Capital Expenditure Strategy - Apple Inc. is significantly reducing its capital expenditure, cutting it by 19% year-over-year to $2.37 billion, while other major tech companies are collectively committing around $700 billion in capex over the next year [1][2] - Apple's full-year capital expenditure was $12.72 billion, which is less than what Amazon plans to spend in a single quarter [2] - CEO Tim Cook emphasized a prudent and deliberate approach to expenditure, relying on on-device processing and "private cloud compute" to avoid the massive server costs that burden its rivals [4] Group 2: Market Reactions and Predictions - The market is beginning to question the aggressive spending strategies of other tech giants, as seen with Amazon's $200 billion capex guidance leading to an 8% stock drop, and Alphabet's plans causing a 6% decline [3] - Prediction markets indicate skepticism regarding Apple's restrained spending strategy, with Apple valued at just 14 cents in a market predicting the largest company by the end of December 2026, compared to Nvidia at 44 cents and Alphabet at 33 cents [5] - Despite speculation about a leadership change, traders give Tim Cook a 69% chance of remaining CEO through 2027, suggesting that a reversal in strategy is unlikely [6]