Invest in the ‘Apple II Moment’ for autonomous vehicles

Editor’s note: Tonight, Tesla CEO Elon Musk is set to unveil the biggest launch of his career at the company’s “We, Robot” event: Robotaxi. My fellow InvestorPlace Luke Lango says Musk’s event will be the tipping point for robotaxis and other AVs to go mainstream in 2025.

As he explained in a special briefing earlier this weekautonomous driving is already becoming a reality. (And he even has the video of his own experience to prove it.)

Today, Luke joins us to explain how you can take advantage of this AV revolution. He’s identified a little-known robotaxi supplier that he thinks could play a key role in Tesla’s Cybercab…and make investors a lot of money along the way.

Take it away…

When Steve Jobs overtook the entire computer industry Apple Inc. (AAPL), managed to turn science fiction into reality. Eventually, Apple became one of the most valuable companies in the world…

Because out-of-the-box computers were still more science fiction than reality, there was no market for personal computers when Apple’s early dynamic duo—Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak—set out to build the Apple I.

pair created the market.

Both Jobs and Wozniak invented the Apple I for a simple reason – because they wanted a computer for personal use, and the options at the time were impractical.

In the mid-1960s, about half of all computers in the world were IBM 1401s, which replaced bulky vacuum tubes with transistors. The 1401 was considered the Model T of computers because it sold well (for the time), producing 12,000 units and making the case for the computer as a general purpose (as opposed to hobbyist) machine.

However, the 1401 weighed about five tons all-in. It’s not exactly something Jobs and Woz could pull into their friends’ houses.

Then there was the Altair 8800, a popular DIY computer among hobbyists. In fact, it was the Altair that Jobs and Woz took inspiration from for the Apple I.

Their desire to build a computer that could make life easier for everyone led to the Apple II, the first true PC designed for consumers.

Rather than weighing a literal ton or being packaged as a single board intended to be installed by knowledgeable people, the Apple II resembled a common household appliance:

Out of the box, regular people without solid technical knowledge could be up and running in relatively little time.

It was the world’s first truly customer-friendly pre-assembled computer for the masses and set the stage for the computer industry to this day.

Here’s Steve Wozniak reflecting on his time at Apple:

Every Apple project – computers, hard drives, everything – I never designed those things in my life… I had no training in them, but I was so good at taking the small parts—like pieces of wood to build a building—that I could architect something perfectly.. And really better than people who were used to doing this would do.

Woz isn’t bragging here. He makes an important point…

Although education and training are important, nothing can replace unbridled creativity and innovation.

Here’s Woz again:

Someone who knows how to take the little things and build on them and write the book on how you actually put them into play, a person who comes with the ability to write the book, I think is better than someone who knows how to do it from past experience.

I bring this up because right now the most powerful companies in the world are racing to develop top-notch artificial intelligence.

Microsoft Corp. (MSFT), Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN), Alphabet Inc. (GOOGLE), Meta Platforms, Inc. (THE TARGET) and others invested billions in AI technologies.

So far, they have mainly followed the practice set by OpenAI…

But there is one company with the foresight, patience and commitment to innovation that could do for AI what Apple has done for computing…

The transformational launch will take place this week

You see, in just a few short days, Tesla Inc. (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk — the world’s richest man — will unveil a new artificial intelligence-based product that some believe could be as impactful as the iPhone, Model 3 or the first PC.

It’s called Robotaxi. And it promises to shock the world.

According to reports, the vehicle will be a fully autonomous car without any steering wheel or pedals. Early renderings show it is likely to feature a two-seater interior with a large center console. Musk says it will also have the lowest cost per mile of any transportation option.

And it will supposedly be accompanied by its own ride-hailing app (much like Uber), allowing customers to take autonomous rides in Robotaxi with the push of a button.

Now, if this all sounds like science fiction, that’s because it was born out of it.

But that’s what Elon Musk could do at “We, Robot” event later tonight. Then it is expected to reveal the Robotaxi. He could turn science fiction into reality. And that’s what’s so exciting about this upcoming debut.

It echoes Woz’s belief that those who “write the book” on new technologies are ultimately more valuable than those who follow established practices.

And as I pointed out above, then the magic happens.

Taking advantage of Tesla’s exciting debut

Think… A mobile phone that puts the power of the internet in the palm of our hands, keeping us connected to everything, wherever we go? That certainly sounded like science fiction in the mid-2000s. However, Apple made it a reality with the iPhone — and in doing so, created a transformative product that fundamentally changed the world.

When science fiction becomes reality, a kind of magic happens. The world is changed forever. And savvy investors are offered the opportunity to make potential fortunes.

Elon Musk may do just that at the “We, Robot” event later tonight at around 10pm EST.

In doing so, it will bring much-needed publicity to all the exciting developments happening in the world of autonomous vehicles (AVs) right now.

And that, my friends, could push a flood of money into AV stocks.

The question is: When a revolutionary new product is launched, what is the best way to invest in its success?

By buying stock in the company that created it, right?

Maybe not.

Consider: Ever since Apple released the first iPhone in June 2007, Apple’s stock has taken off like a rocket. The value has increased by over 6,000% since then. But you know what stock propelled the iPhone even higher? Broadcom Inc. (AVGO) – a major Apple supplier. Its stock is up more than 16,000% since the launch of the first iPhone:

Another great example is Tesla’s Model 3. Many consider it the most transformative electric vehicle (age) – the car that really brought electric vehicles into the mainstream. And indeed, since its launch in July 2017, Tesla stock has absolutely soared, climbing about 1,500% more.

But to create such a world-changing new product, Tesla was using chips from another company, NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA), to power the Model 3’s unique Autopilot technology. And guess what? NVIDIA stock is up about 14,000% since the debut of this vehicle.

You get the point. Sometimes the best way to play a revolutionary new product launch is to not buy the stock of the main company that makes the product.

Often, it is suppliers that exceed.

And that’s why I want to draw your attention the next batch of potential superstar supplier stocks.

Supplier stocks to buy for Robotaxi launch

Of course, if Robotaxi turns into a world-changing product in the next few years, TSLA stock will soar. But history suggests that some suppliers’ stocks could rise even higher.

To prepare for this potential game-changing moment, we’ve just held a special briefing to discuss important developments in the autonomous vehicle industry, the launch of Robotaxi and we’ve unveiled a handbook of what we believe are some of the best AV tech vendor stocks to buy right now.

This event is centered around the release of Robotaxi, but it’s about much more than that. It focuses on the revolutionary revolution of autonomous vehicles and, more importantly, how to potentially profit from it.

The event is tonight, which means time is running out to join me in preparing for this new era of transportation. Our offer ends tonight, so there’s only a few hours left to get in on it.

Let’s make this release work for us.

Sincerely,

Luke Lango

Editor, Investing in hypergrowth