Every high-profile person has his or her fair share of fans and haters. So much of the praise or criticism is unfair or undeserved but that doesn't stop the constant 'chattering of the masses'.
For instance, many are critical of Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) CEO Tim Cook and derisively label him a 'caretaker' as he has mostly focused on iterative improvements rather than bold product launches like the iPhone or iPad. Instead, he has focused on making the Apple ecosystem bigger and stickier and increased the average revenue per customer beyond the traditional cycle of upgrading every 3 to 4 years.
And from Wall Street's perspective, he may be outdoing his predecessor as Apple's stock has been a major outperformer as Cook has sought a shareholder-friendly with dividends and share buybacks.
It's also unfair to compare any CEO to Steve Jobs given his unique stature and accomplishments.
However, there are constant rumors about a secretive product that could be of similar magnitude to the iPhone - 'Project Titan' which is Apple's electric and autonomous vehicle.
Like a pendulum, opinions seem to change about this project. At times, it's been rumored that Apple has been very close to signing contracts with manufacturers to begin production. At other times, the project is close to shutting down, and there will be reports of departures of high-level executives.
In terms of what can be said for certain, Cook confirmed the existence of an electric car project. And, the size of this unit has steadily increased. The company also acquired a permit to test self-driving vehicles in California.
There was also a Bloomberg article that said Apple was looking to build a car that wouldn't require any human interaction even ditching the steering wheel and pedals. The company is also reportedly designing its own battery technology.
Of course, there is no guarantee that Apple will eventually manufacture a car and produce it at scale. It must navigate numerous obstacles, including increased competition for resources as nearly all OEMs ramp up EV production.
However, AAPL certainly has the resources to pull it off, and it could capture meaningful market share in the EV/AV market the same way it did in smartphones. This gives the stock an intriguing upside, especially with its forward P.E of 20.