Apple's Stock Stabilizes After Volatile Morning Trade; Company Wins IPod Antitrust Trial

Apple's stock inched higher by less than 0.1% in afternoon trade Tuesday, a quiet contrast to the seesaw action seen earlier in the session when the stock swung between a gain of 1.8% and a loss of 1.8% at its intraday extremes. The stock's stabilization allowed investors to mull over news that a jury unanimously ruled in favor of Apple on Tuesday in a class action lawsuit that accused the company of violating antitrust laws by suppressing competition for its iPod music players. The plaintiffs, representing an alleged eight million consumers, were seeking $350 million in damages, saying Apple made changes to its iTunes music service so iPods wouldn't operate with other companies' products, The Wall Street Journal reported. But the jury found that the 7.0 version of iTunes was a genuine product upgrade so it was not in violation of antitrust laws, the report said.