Actually, Apple has been on the low end when it comes to stock price performance in the last couple of years, for the variety of reasons, the most recent one being utter failure of Apple Intelligence to deliver and trigger the upgrade hypercycle that never happened but was highly anticipated.
That doesn't mean one shouldn't own Apple stock (I've been a shareholder since around 2022) but if you have to ask if you should buy it and how it all works, chances are you shouldn't. Buying a certain stock just because you like the company and its products or services is typically not what you should be doing as a beginner investor. You're better off with buying ETFs and/or UCITS funds (depending on where you live) that have Apple and a bunch of other companies in their stock basket so that you can get the most out of your hard earned money. That way, a professional portfolio manager takes care of everything (with the extensive help of bots and automated processes) and you don't have to become a CFA or a professional investor to achieve the results you want.