Apple's shares recently went up as the tech giant's Q3 earnings report approaches. The company has suffered from a dismal performance in the past few months.

Apple Insider reported that the company's shares have increased by 2 percent on Thursday, closing at $98.79. This draws near to the peak that Apple's stock has traded since its value declined below $100 after it released its fiscal Q2 earnings.

In two weeks, the tech giant will be announcing its Q3 earnings, which ended last month. It seems like the iPhone SE, which was made available during Q3, has helped renew interest in the company.

Investors are now expressing heightened interest in the current impact of the device. The product remains to be in-demand with its increased processing power and iPhone 6-like camera features in the body of the iPhone 5S.

According to Channel News, Apple's iPhone 7 may have a serious upgrade for its battery. Apparently, the tech giant is planning to incorporate a 1960mAh battery for its upcoming flagship phone.

The rumor came from a tweet by Twitter user OnLeaks. "Pretty reliable (not 100% but almost...) source told me iPhone 7 battery = 1960mAh," the post read.

This would be a definite improvement from iPhone 6S's which only had a 1715 mAh battery. There are speculations that this would lead to an increase of about 12.5 percent in charge capacity.

It was previously reported that the Samsung Galaxy S7, the South-Korean company's latest flagship, is outselling Apple's iPhone 6S. It was revealed that 16 percent of American consumers are buying Samsung's S7 or S7 Edge - with only 14.6 percent buying an iPhone 6S or 6S Plus.

Apple Insider noted that the rivalry between the two smartphone giants, Apple and Samsung, seem to be "increasingly irrelevant." Majority of sales for both companies come from customers upgrading and repurchasing products within their preferred brand, rather than from those who switched from one brand to another.