Apple Falls After iPhone 17 Launch: What Lies Ahead for ETFs?

Apple Inc. AAPL shares fell 1.5% on Sept. 9, 2025, after its much-hyped iPhone 17 launch left investors unenthusiastic. Despite updates to the Apple Watch and AirPods with real-time translation, investors did not find much in the event that could drive the stock higher.Analysts observed that iPhone 17 offered only modest enhancements rather than radical features (as quoted on Economic Times), dampening hopes for a strong upgrade cycle.Innovation Challenge: A Key Concern?Apple’s muted stock reaction indicated that the sustenance of growth requires innovation, not just refurbishment. One apparently solid announcement was AirPods with built-in translation, per the above-mentioned Economic Times article.Apple Watch Ultra 3’s 42-hour battery, 5G connectivity, and satellite safety features (as quoted on the Economic Times article) also caught investors’ attention in a bullish way, but market expectations were too high for the iPhone segment.Subdued AI Progress Compared With Oher Big Tech PeersThere are continued concerns about Apple's progress in artificial intelligence, as some AI features were delayed, and investors are looking for a solid AI roadmap from the company. Apple's personalized and AI-powered Siri is now expected to debut in spring 2026. AAPL had earlier suggested a much better Siri would come this spring, as quoted on Investopedia.Most recently, Apple’s lead artificial intelligence researcher for robotics has let the company (per Bloomberg) to join Meta Platforms Inc.’s challenging effort. Separately, three more AI researchers have parted ways with Apple’s in-house large language models team, putting Apple’s AI innovation process in question, as quoted on Bloomberg.Inorganic Expansion in AI?Apple’s CEO Tim Cook revealed that the company has acquired “around seven” firms this year, and most of them were smaller buys, as quoted on AIinvest.com.These acquisitions should facilitate Apple's goal of integrating AI into its own system. Economic Times indicated in late August that a report by The Information revealed Apple is showing interest in buying Mistral AI and Perplexity to boost its AI capabilities.Meanwhile, Bloomberg reported in early September that Apple is planning to launch its own artificial intelligence-powered web search tool next year, in a bid to compete with OpenAI and Perplexity AI Inc.In the above-mention article, Bloomberg also revealed that the company is working on a new system that will be joined with the Siri voice assistant, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Apple reportedly also has plans to embed the technology in its Safari web browser and Spotlight, which is used to search from the iPhone home screen.Apple Share Market Performance Apple shares have lost 1.3% over the past week. It is down 3.9% so far this year, while the stock has gained 6.5% over the past year. Over the past month, the stock has gained 3.2%.Broker RatingApple currently has an average brokerage recommendation (ABR) of 1.99 on a scale of 1 to 5 (Strong Buy to Strong Sell), calculated based on the actual recommendations (Buy, Hold, Sell etc.) made by 38 brokerage firms. The current ABR compares to an ABR of 2.04 a month ago based on 38 recommendations.Of the 38 recommendations deriving the current ABR, 19 are Strong Buy and two are Buy. Strong Buy and Buy, respectively, account for 50% and 5.26% of all recommendations.Price TargetBased on short-term price targets offered by 33 analysts, the average price target for Apple comes to $238.96. The forecasts range from a low of $180.00 to a high of $300.00. The average price target represents an increase of 1.96% from the last closing price of $234.35.Apple-Heavy ETFs in Focus In our opinion, all Apple needs is meaningful AI advancements, be it organically or inorganically. Till then, Apple shares may likely see moderate trading. Against this backdrop, investors can play Apple in a basket approach to minimize company-specific concentration risks. This ETF approach will also allow investors ride any potential rally in Apple shares.Fidelity MSCI Information Technology Index ETF FTEC – Apple weight 22.5%iShares U.S. Technology ETF IYW – Apple weight 13.8%Vanguard Information Technology ETF VGT – Apple weight 12.7%Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund XLK – Apple weight 12.4%iShares Top 20 U.S. Stocks ETF TOPT – Apple weight 7.7%Boost Your Portfolio with Our Top ETF InsightsZacks' exclusive Fund Newsletter delivers actionable information, top news and analysis, as well as top-performing ETFs, straight to your inbox every week.Don’t miss out on this valuable resource. It’s free!Get it now >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Apple Inc. (AAPL): Free Stock Analysis Report Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK): ETF Research Reports Fidelity MSCI Information Technology Index ETF (FTEC): ETF Research Reports iShares U.S. Technology ETF (IYW): ETF Research Reports Vanguard Information Technology ETF (VGT): ETF Research Reports iShares Top 20 U.S. Stocks ETF (TOPT): ETF Research ReportsThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks