Apple Siri Delay Weighs on AAPL Stock
Apple Siri delay on Feb. 12, 2026 pressured shares, prompted sector rotation and widened selling as analysts warned of memory-cost and execution risk.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Reports of Siri testing snags pushed AAPL about 4.0% lower and prompted sector rotation.
- Coverage linked the reports to roughly $202.0 billion of market value lost.
- Apple moved some features to iOS 26.5 in May and others to iOS 27 in September.
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Apple Inc. faced a near-4% stock drop on Feb. 12, 2026, after reports of an Apple Siri delay caused by testing snags. The decline prompted funds to rotate into other S&P 500 sectors, intensifying selling pressure on the shares.
Market Reaction and Timing
The stock drop followed a series of reports on Feb. 12, 2026, beginning at 1:23 p.m. ET and continuing through the afternoon. Later coverage linked the news to about $202 billion of intraday market value erased from Apple’s capitalization. Market participants cited the timing of the reports and broader concerns about artificial intelligence and rising memory costs as factors that amplified the selling.
Siri Testing Snags and Rollout
Recent testing revealed technical issues, including Siri reverting to an OpenAI ChatGPT integration instead of Apple’s own AI systems, along with slower response times and accuracy problems. These challenges led Apple to delay features originally planned for iOS 26.4 in March 2026. Some functions moved to an iOS 26.5 rollout in May, while others were deferred to iOS 27 in September 2026. Apple also has a commercial agreement to incorporate Google’s Gemini AI models for certain features. The Siri overhaul was first announced at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June 2024 and had been postponed from an early-2025 target into 2026. Apple did not respond to requests for comment.
Analysts and Cost Pressures
Analysts highlighted two main risks: rising supply costs and execution of the upgraded assistant. Bernstein analyst Mark Newman said memory and storage prices linked to AI demand could increase iPhone component costs by about 15%, though he viewed the impact on Apple’s earnings per share as muted. Other analysts described the delay as a deliberate choice to prioritize user privacy and smoother integration. Some investors noted the pause preserves optionality value for Apple’s AI efforts rather than closing off future possibilities.
The episode has placed execution and AI-related cost trends at the forefront of investor concerns. The phased software rollouts and memory-price developments will likely serve as key indicators of whether Apple can translate the Siri upgrade into the market outcomes it has signaled.
