<div id="readability-page-1"><div><div>CNBC's Jim Cramer launched a fiery defense of Apple Inc. AAPL on Wednesday, claiming a pivotal U.S. court ruling has fundamentally reshaped the tech giant’s artificial intelligence strategy, allowing it to get paid for AI rather than funding an expensive catch-up.Check out the current price of AAPL stock here.<h2>Cramer Argues Apple Will Get Paid For AI</h2>In a series of posts on the social media platform X, Cramer blasted naysayers and argued that Wall Street is failing to grasp the “incredible importance” of the development for Apple's future.Cramer argues that Apple, long criticized for lagging in the AI race, no longer needs to spend a fortune to compete. Instead, he contends, a major AI player like Google will now pay Apple billions to integrate its technology, like Gemini, into Apple’s vast ecosystem.“Instead of buying AI it will have a rich company pay IT to take that company’s AI,” Cramer stated, adding this negates fears of Apple writing a “$200 billion check to NVDA” for infrastructure.<h2>Judge Rules Against Forced Divestitures</h2>The catalyst for Cramer’s analysis was a decision on Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta in the Department of Justice’s antitrust case against Google.While the judge previously found Google held an illegal search monopoly, he rejected the DOJ’s call to force a breakup of the company.Critically, Judge Mehta ruled that Google could continue its multi-billion-dollar payments to Apple to remain the default search engine on iPhones.<h2>Cramer Thinks That Market Reaction Was Muted</h2>The ruling sent Alphabet Inc. GOOG shares up 6.73% and Apple up 2.97% in after-hours trading. Cramer scoffed at the market's seemingly muted reaction to the news for Apple, posting.He dismissed recent negative stories about AI talent departing Apple as “plants,” suggesting they are irrelevant now that the company has a clear path to monetize its platform through an AI partnership, turning a massive perceived cost into a significant new revenue stream.<h2>Price Action</h2>The stock fell 1.04% on Tuesday and rose 2.97% in after-hours. It has declined 5.79% year-to-date and was up 3.12% over a year.Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings indicate that AAPL maintains a stronger price trend in the short, medium, and long terms. However, the stock scores poorly on growth rankings. Additional performance details are available here.The SPDR S&amp;P 500 ETF Trust SPY and Invesco QQQ Trust ETF QQQ, which track the S&amp;P 500 index and Nasdaq 100 index, respectively, fell on Tuesday. The SPY was down 0.74% at $640.27, while the QQQ declined 0.84% to $565.62, according to Benzinga Pro data.On Wednesday, the futures of the S&amp;P 500, Dow Jones, and Nasdaq 100 indices were trading in a mixed manner.<ul> <li>Google Ruling A ‘Huge Win’ For Big Tech, Says Dan Ives, Munster Labels Regulator’s Bark ‘Bigger’ Than Bite — Alphabet Stock Soars After Hours</li> </ul>Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.Photo courtesy: jamesteohart / Shutterstock.com</div></div></div>

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Jim Cramer defended Apple Inc. (AAPL), claiming a recent U.S. court ruling allows the company to profit from AI rather than incur costs. He argued that instead of spending on AI, Apple will receive payments from major players like Google to integrate their technology. The ruling, which permits Google to continue paying Apple to be the default search engine, positively impacted stock prices, with AAPL rising 2.97% in after-hours trading. Cramer dismissed negative reports about AI talent leaving Apple, suggesting the company now has a clear path to monetize its AI platform.

- CNBC's Jim Cramer defended Apple Inc., asserting that a recent U.S. court ruling has transformed its AI strategy, allowing it to profit from AI integration rather than incurring high costs.  
- The ruling by Judge Amit Mehta permits Google to continue paying Apple billions to remain the default search engine on iPhones, which Cramer believes will lead to significant revenue for Apple.  
- Despite a muted market reaction, Cramer emphasized that this development negates previous concerns about Apple's AI investments and positions the company favorably in the tech landscape.  

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Jim Cramer Blasts Apple Naysayers, Claims Court Ruling Allows AAPL To Get Paid For AI, Not Pay For It