Business

Evidently, Apple's flashy advertising and sleek product design has attracted customers willing to pay high prices for its products. Over the past few years, Apple climbed to the top of the market on high-end desktop and laptop sales, according to a ... recent report by market research company NPD Group. Of all computers costing more than $1,000 sold in 2007, 70% were Mac desktops and 64% Mac laptops. (Source: arstechnica.com ) An interesting report, indeed. Problem is, it doesn't adequately reflect the realities of the industry. Anyone browsing the Apple website will quickly see that there are ... (view more)

Carl Icahn recently announced he was initiating a hostile takeover for Yahoo, and Microsoft released a statement on Saturday that they would be open to a transaction with their rival after backing off from their own takeover bid earlier this year. ... (Source: nypost.com ) This is just the latest development in a saga that has lasted so long you need a scorecard to keep track of the drama. So in the spirit of helping you navigate this epic boardroom battle, we are proud to present Infopackets' "A Brief History of the Yahoo Takeover Bid" Part 1. January 31, 2008: Microsoft CEO makes a late night ... (view more)

Google recently made a preview release of its Friend Connect service available, which allows websites to add social networking features to its pages. Registration, invitations, members galleries, message posting, reviews and 3rd party applications ... based on Google's Open Social platform can all be added. (Source: google.com) The search giant has designed Friend Connect to interact with most of the major social networks, but is currently available on limited websites, such as singer/songwriter Ingrid Michaelson's. The Michaelson site uses the iLike application that allows fans to interact and ... (view more)

PC gaming fans will want to take note of a major move by Dell this week: according to reports, the company will be dropping the majority of its powerful XPS line of systems. The muscular PCs are meant exclusively for gaming purposes, some even ... marketed for specific titles (like the XPS 'World of Warcraft' laptop). The move is part of a broad attempt by Dell to resurrect its fortunes in the computer retail market. The popular online seller recently fell behind long time competitor Hewlett Packard, losing its grip on first place in the U.S. Though Dell will continue to offer a few of its lower- ... (view more)

HBO has joined the iPod revolution by offering a selection of its television shows on the iTunes store. On Tuesday, the premium cable channel announced it would sell single episodes and whole seasons of mega-hits like the Sopranos and Sex and the ... City, as well as Deadwood, Flight of the Conchords, Rome and The Wire. (Source: apple.com ) In a surprise move Apple has agreed to premium pricing for some of HBO's programming. The Sopranos, Deadwood and Rome will cost $2.99 per episode, while the others will be for sale at the regular iTunes price of $1.99. Last year, NBC pulled its television ... (view more)

Microsoft could be in even more trouble with European Union competition regulators after a complaint by a British government agency. The British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (BECTA), which oversees computer purchasing in schools ... and colleges, says Microsoft Office doesn't work smoothly enough with other programmes. They argue that Microsoft should use the independent OpenDocument format which makes it easy to transfer files such as spreadsheets or word documents between rival software packages. Microsoft has its own 'open' format, Office Open XML, but critics say it's too ... (view more)

Apple products may be fantastically marketed and look great, but according to a recent study by environmental watchdog Climate Counts, the company is a serious environmental offender. Although its website states that the company "recognizes its ... responsibility as a global citizen," Apple scored a pithy 11 out of 100 points on Climate Counts' 2008 survey of the environmental policies of large companies. Through attempts to identify problem areas, the Apple jumped up 9 points from last year's survey . However, the company lost huge marks for not acknowledging the extent of its carbon footprint. ... (view more)

Apple has lowered the prices of its iTunes movie downloads in an attempt to draw more business to its stores and website. The electronics retailer will be selling titles from almost every major film company at a $1 loss. New releases, such as 'Juno' ... and 'American Gangster', will retail for $14.99 on the website, while older films will sell for $9.99 (Source: efluxmedia.com ) After completing deals with 20th Century Fox, Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Lions Gate, Image Entertainment and First Look ... (view more)

Jajah just landed a deal to manage VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) calls for Yahoo! Messenger. Beginning in the third quarter of 2008, the web-based telephony company will add the Internet portal's 97 million users to its own base of 10 million ... Jajah customers. Whether or not users will notice the difference is unclear. (Source: marketwire.com ) While both services use pre-paid credits, the pricing system is slightly different. Yahoo, for example, charges less than Jajah for U.S. long distance, while the reverse is true for international calls. Of course, neither service can compare to ... (view more)

In a shocking turn of events, Microsoft has withdrawn its bid to take over rival Yahoo. The decision appears to be costing the Internet portal's investors dearly; yesterday, Yahoo's stock price plummeted $4.20, finishing the day at $24.47. It's a ... new low for a stock price fluctuating around $28 since Microsoft and Yahoo began their stand off. (Source: microsoft.com ) The nosedive that Yahoo's stock took seems to contradict claims made by CEO Jerry Yang that Microsoft's offer, at $33-per-share, substantially undervalued the company. The Yahoo board was holding out for a price that would have ... (view more)