New York, March 2, 2026, 16:22 EST — After-hours
- Apple shares barely budged in after-hours trading, following its unveiling of the iPhone 17e and updates to the iPad Air.
- $599 to start, plus a bump in base storage—investors are once again eyeing value, and margins are getting a fresh round of scrutiny.
- Preorders kick off March 4; sales officially launch March 11
Apple Inc (AAPL.O) barely budged in after-hours trade Monday following its rollout of the new, lower-priced iPhone 17e and a refreshed iPad Air. The shares inched up 0.1% to $264.72, keeping Apple’s market cap near $4.0 trillion. After-hours trading takes place after the usual 4 p.m. ET bell.
Apple put the iPhone 17e’s entry price at $599, while doubling the base storage to 256GB—a shift that some analysts see as a de facto price cut, especially with memory chip costs climbing in a tight global market. The device uses Apple’s new A19 chip, built on a 3-nanometer process, which means more speed and less power draw. MagSafe is back too, supporting wireless charging up to 15 watts; that’s a jump from the standard Qi wireless charging on the previous version. In a separate development, The Information reported that Google has looked at running Gemini in its own data centers to support a future Siri overhaul. Apple and Google haven’t replied to comment requests.
Pricing is key here—Apple wants its entry-level iPhone to stay appealing, but isn’t eager to chase discounts like Samsung Electronics and the Chinese brands, who are busy with promotions. For investors, the issue is clear: can Apple protect its margins if it ends up eating higher component costs just to maintain that $599 price tag?
Apple closed out the session at $264.61, up 0.16%, with shares trading in a range from $260.21 to $266.51, data from Investing.com show.
Apple is calling the iPhone 17e the lowest-cost option in its iPhone 17 lineup, touting a C1X modem that the company claims delivers speeds up to twice those of last year’s C1 in the 16e. “iPhone 17e combines powerful performance and features our users love at an exceptional value,” said Kaiann Drance, vice president of Worldwide iPhone Product Marketing at Apple. Apple
The modem—essentially the chip that hooks a phone to cellular networks—matters more for battery life and data speeds than most buyers realize. Then there’s MagSafe, Apple’s magnet-driven accessory system. It tends to fasten users even tighter to its lineup of cases, wallets, and chargers.
Apple updated its iPad Air lineup, sticking with the $599 entry price for the 11-inch and $799 for the 13-inch, while moving to the M4 chip and bumping up memory, the company said. “There’s never been a better time to choose or upgrade to iPad Air,” said Bob Borchers, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. Preorders open March 4 and the devices ship starting March 11, according to Apple. Apple
Trading swung back and forth for most of the session. The S&P 500 closed unchanged, with the Nasdaq managing a 0.32% gain as U.S. and Israeli air strikes on Iran over the weekend sent oil prices climbing. By afternoon, investors had returned to tech favorites. “When people get scared, they go back to what is comfortable,” said Bill Smead, founder and chairman of Smead Capital Management. Reuters
Apple’s value argument has a flip side. Rising component costs squeeze profits if prices stay put—unless sales volumes rise to offset it. Weak preorders, though, would put the spotlight back on those concerns about slower upgrade cycles.
Apple kicks off iPhone 17e preorders Wednesday at 6:15 a.m. Pacific, giving traders an early read on demand before the official launch March 11. The stock could react if there’s fresh traction on the Gemini hosting report—particularly if Apple weighs in.
