Apple 2010: 5 Key Events

TheStreet dissects the key moments in Apple's year -- and their impact on the tech giant's share price.
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CUPERTINO, Calif. (

TheStreet

) -- 2010 has been a busy year for

Apple

(AAPL) - Get Report

, which saw the launch of the iPad, the

new iPhone 4

, and in a rare moment of bad publicity, a press conference to deal with

Antennagate.

Apple's iPhone antenna problems, however,

proved to be little more than a speed bump for Steve Jobs and Co.

Apple is still seeing an influx of love, both on

Main Street and Wall Street

. Seemingly untouched by the unease that

has crept into other parts of the tech sector

, Apple

hit a new 52-week high last week

and is

enjoying big demand for its latest offerings.

Coming off of all this news, Apple has seen an almost 40% hike in its share price this year. If there's one thing that's consistent with the way to play Apple, it's this: Wise investors get into the company's stock well ahead of actual events and product announcements.

Here's a look back at the key moments in Apple's year -- and the impact they had on the company's share price.

iPad Launch

Apple CEO Steve Jobs launched the

iPad

on Jan. 27, proudly proclaiming the touchscreen tablet as a "magical and revolutionary device." Investors, however, were initially underwhelmed. Apple's stock gained a little under 1% on the day of the launch event at San Francisco's Yerba Buena Center, and continued to slip more than 4% in the following day's trading.

iPads Hits Shelves

A little under three months after its launch,

iPads hit consumers' hands

on Saturday, April 3. Apple's stock rose 1% on the next trading day.

iPhone Launch

The air of mystery surrounding the launch of Apple's iPhone 4 was punctured somewhat when

a prototype of the device was left in a bar

, although the

latest iPhone still generated plenty of buzz when it was unveiled on June 7.

Apple's shares, however, slipped 2% on launch day.

Antennagate

Reports of iPhone antenna problems resulted in a rare

invite-only press conference

to discuss what quickly became known as Antennagate. Steve Jobs nixed the possibility of a product recall at the July 16 event, instead offering free bumpers and refunds to unhappy iPhone customers. Concern over the antenna issues forced Apple's stock down 11% prior to Jobs' public explanation; on the day he spoke, it was down about 1%.

iPod Launch

Though the event hardly matched the scale of the earlier iPad and iPhone launches, Apple

took the wraps off new iPods

on Sep. 1. It also announced a refreshed iTunes and another attempt at Apple TV.

Investor reaction to the announcements was markedly upbeat

, with Apple shares gaining 3% on the day of the event at the Yerba Buena Center.

--Written by James Rogers in New York.

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