New York, Feb 27, 2026, 16:34 EST — Trading after the bell
- Apple shares finished the session down roughly 3.2%, barely budging in after-hours trading.
- Tim Cook teased a series of Apple announcements lined up to kick off Monday.
- IDC’s latest outlook points to higher memory prices creating new pressure for the smartphone sector.
Apple dropped 3.2% to finish at $264.18 on Friday. After hours, shares slid a touch further, off 0.1% to $263.92, following the 4 p.m. ET bell. The session saw the stock dip as low as $262.89 and top out at $272.81, with volume coming in around 61 million shares. That’s a close below Thursday’s $272.95 finish. 1
The timing comes as Apple gears up for its next major event. CEO Tim Cook hinted at what’s in store, writing, “A big week ahead. It all starts Monday morning!” According to Macworld, invitations have gone out for “special experiences” set for March 4 in New York, London, and Shanghai. 2
Conditions have soured for smartphone makers beyond Apple. On Thursday, IDC projected the global smartphone market faces its steepest-ever drop in 2026, hammered by spiking memory-chip prices and climbing device costs. Apple and Samsung could still grab market share, IDC noted. “Not a temporary squeeze, but a tsunami-like shock,” said Francisco Jeronimo, IDC vice president. Research director Nabila Popal described the crunch as “a structural reset” for the industry. 3
Apple’s slide came as U.S. stocks broadly pulled back, with the Nasdaq losing 0.92% and the Dow falling 1.05%. A hotter-than-expected Producer Price Index put wholesale inflation front and center for investors, who were already juggling anxiety over AI, tariffs, and geopolitics. “To wrap up the month of February, we were reminded there are still some cracks out there,” said Ryan Detrick, chief market strategist at Carson Group. 4
The AI surge is roiling memory markets, too. According to The Verge, data centers hungry for memory chips are leaving handset manufacturers scrambling, sending prices up and putting pressure on budget smartphones. 5
Investors will get another read on the economy next week, with February’s U.S. jobs numbers landing Friday, March 6. According to a Reuters poll, analysts are looking for job growth of around 60,000, Reuters noted. “The U.S. equity market is … trying to find the winners and losers of this new disruptive technology and pretty much treading water,” John Velis, Americas macro strategist at BNY, said. 6
The real question mark for demand is the relentless rise in smartphone costs. According to IDC, as reported by Reuters, average selling prices are on track to soar 14%—hitting a new high of $523 by 2026. The firm also flagged a risk: sub-$100 models may not make a comeback, even if memory prices even out by mid-2027. 7
Apple wrapped up Friday with a market cap close to $4.0 trillion and about 14.68 billion shares out, according to Markets Insider. 8
All eyes shift to Apple’s lineup rolling out from Monday, March 2. According to 9to5Mac, Apple is opting for a series of announcements spanning several days and has invited media for Wednesday, March 4, skipping the usual keynote event. 9
Looking past Apple, the calendar points next to Friday’s labor data. The Labor Department lists the February Employment Situation set for release at 8:30 a.m. ET on March 6. 10
