What Apple's Supreme Court Case Means for Developers
Legal cases against tech giants can seem like a dime a dozen – after all, litigious activity is inherent in being some of the largest companies in the world. Supreme Court cases, however, are certainly not standard. Apple finds itself embroiled in one whose outcome will have a real effect on developers and their business models.
The highest court in the United States agreed to hear Apple Inc. v. Pepper in June; oral arguments were held on November 26. The class-action lawsuit alleges that Apple has, according to Business Insider, “[broken] federal antitrust laws by monopolizing the market for iPhone apps and causing consumers to pay more than they should.” Judges will determine if Apple is responsible for damages, but their ruling will also set precedent on whether consumers can sue for damages in the future under similar circumstances.
Apple’s argument hinges on a precedent set by Illinois Brick Co. v. Illinois in 1977. In that case, which involved allegations of price-fixing against concrete block manufacturers that increased building costs, the Supreme Court ruled that “only a company’s direct customer can sue for antitrust violations,” – in this case, only the contractors who purchased directly from manufacturers could sue said manufacturers.
Apple is arguing that their App Store is effectively a middleman between consumers and developers, analogous to the concrete manufacturers – developers are thus the masonry workers, and the only ones who can file a suit for better terms. They insist developers can charge any price – not just the standard $0.99 – to improve their margins if they sell their apps in the store.
Developers are frustrated by Apple’s 30 percent fee (described as a “commission”) on each sale and handcuffed by economic principles (lower priced items tend to sell better than more expensive ones) when it comes to charging for their products. Should the Supreme Court agree with Apple, developers will need to band together if they want to bring a suit; regardless of outcome, it is likely developers will need to work together to create a better system benefiting large and small creators alike.
How a new model would work is up for interpretation. Some smaller developers are already moving towards subscription-based purchases – a far friendlier approach to their bottom line than one-off, $0.99 sales. Nathan Swanner, Dice’s insights editor, writes in a blog post that “Apple may be forced to allow outside app downloads, or at least allow developers to link to outside sales portals within their own apps (or create apps that are solely for sales of other apps).” Developers may also decide to charge more to expand their margin when faced with service fees.
App developers will live with the uncertainty until the Supreme Court rules. While the outcome is undecided, it is evident that the app-purchasing landscape is shifting. Developers will adjust accordingly, and consumers’ wallets are likely to bear the brunt of the changes.
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AAPL sees its 50-day moving average cross bullishly above its 200-day moving average
The 50-day moving average for AAPL moved above the 200-day moving average on September 15, 2025. This could be a long-term bullish signal for the stock as the stock shifts to an upward trend.
Technical Analysis (Indicators)
Bullish Trend Analysis
The Momentum Indicator moved above the 0 level on September 12, 2025. You may want to consider a long position or call options on AAPL as a result. In of 74 past instances where the momentum indicator moved above 0, the stock continued to climb. The odds of a continued upward trend are .
Following a 3-day Advance, the price is estimated to grow further. Considering data from situations where AAPL advanced for three days, in of 345 cases, the price rose further within the following month. The odds of a continued upward trend are .
The Aroon Indicator entered an Uptrend today. In of 298 cases where AAPL Aroon's Indicator entered an Uptrend, the price rose further within the following month. The odds of a continued Uptrend are .
Bearish Trend Analysis
The 10-day RSI Indicator for AAPL moved out of overbought territory on September 08, 2025. This could be a bearish sign for the stock. Traders may want to consider selling the stock or buying put options. Tickeron's A.I.dvisor looked at 44 similar instances where the indicator moved out of overbought territory. In of the 44 cases, the stock moved lower in the following days. This puts the odds of a move lower at .
The Stochastic Oscillator entered the overbought zone. Expect a price pull-back in the foreseeable future.
The Moving Average Convergence Divergence Histogram (MACD) for AAPL turned negative on September 10, 2025. This could be a sign that the stock is set to turn lower in the coming weeks. Traders may want to sell the stock or buy put options. Tickeron's A.I.dvisor looked at 45 similar instances when the indicator turned negative. In of the 45 cases the stock turned lower in the days that followed. This puts the odds of success at .
Following a 3-day decline, the stock is projected to fall further. Considering past instances where AAPL declined for three days, the price rose further in of 62 cases within the following month. The odds of a continued downward trend are .
AAPL broke above its upper Bollinger Band on September 03, 2025. This could be a sign that the stock is set to drop as the stock moves back below the upper band and toward the middle band. You may want to consider selling the stock or exploring put options.
The Tickeron SMR rating for this company is (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating very strong sales and a profitable business model. SMR (Sales, Margin, Return on Equity) rating is based on comparative analysis of weighted Sales, Income Margin and Return on Equity values compared against S&P 500 index constituents. The weighted SMR value is a proprietary formula developed by Tickeron and represents an overall profitability measure for a stock.
The Tickeron Price Growth Rating for this company is (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating outstanding price growth. AAPL’s price grows at a higher rate over the last 12 months as compared to S&P 500 index constituents.
The Tickeron Profit vs. Risk Rating rating for this company is (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating low risk on high returns. The average Profit vs. Risk Rating rating for the industry is 86, placing this stock better than average.
The Tickeron PE Growth Rating for this company is (best 1 - 100 worst), pointing to consistent earnings growth. The PE Growth rating is based on a comparative analysis of stock PE ratio increase over the last 12 months compared against S&P 500 index constituents.
The Tickeron Valuation Rating of (best 1 - 100 worst) indicates that the company is significantly overvalued in the industry. This rating compares market capitalization estimated by our proprietary formula with the current market capitalization. This rating is based on the following metrics, as compared to industry averages: AAPL's P/B Ratio (53.763) is very high in comparison to the industry average of (4.178). P/E Ratio (36.266) is within average values for comparable stocks, (32.587). Projected Growth (PEG Ratio) (2.296) is also within normal values, averaging (2.001). Dividend Yield (0.004) settles around the average of (0.027) among similar stocks. P/S Ratio (8.834) is also within normal values, averaging (252.905).
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a manufacturer of mobile communication, media devices, personal computers, and portable digital music players
Industry ComputerPeripherals
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