The Department of Justice (DOJ) and a group of states are appealing a prior antitrust ruling, renewing intense regulatory scrutiny on the lucrative arrangement where Google pays Apple to be the default search engine on its devices.

  • This renewed legal pressure presents a major long-term risk to Apple's high-margin Services revenue stream.
  • Despite the regulatory concerns, AAPL stock remained resilient in pre-market trading, rising slightly by +0.24% to $270.13.