Ipad

Just when I was starting to get bored with tablet computers, Apple Inc. found a way to make them exciting again - by trying to have one of them outlawed. At Apple's behest, a court in Germany issued an injunction barring Samsung Corp. from selling its latest Galaxy Tab device in that country. The message was clear: Apple doesn't like the new Galaxy Tab 10.1. Not one little bit. I had to try one, just to find out why. Sure enough, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is the best tablet whose name doesn't begin with the letter "i. " This larger, thinner version of the...

Should you buy or sell Apple? After the announcement that Steve Jobs is stepping down as CEO, investors pushed Apple's stock down 0.7 percent on Thursday. By contrast, Wall Street analysts reacted with predictable optimism: Buy — a lot. So who is right? The pros or the investors? The short answer may be the pros, though the stock is probably not the bargain that many of them assume. One popular way to value a company's stock is to look at how high it is trading relative to its earnings per share.

iOS apps Two interesting apps for Apple Inc.'s iOS were unveiled last week. One was for a download for real and would-be DJs, which will have you cutting and scratching on your iPad's screen. The other app will have you itching and scratching at bugs on your scalp, real or imagined. The fun one, called djay for iPad, presents users with a magnificent image of two turntables, complete with mixer, equalizer, and other controls. The app automatically analyzes songs in your iTunes playlist, calculating their beats per minute, for example.

It's easy to forget now, but Apple's magnetism was once confined to a cult-like following of geeks seduced by the elegance and simplicity of the company's computers. Over the past decade, though, Apple has emerged as a trendsetter and a wealth-making machine — the rare company that appeals to the cool cats hanging out in hip cafes and the fat cats looking to make another killing on Wall Street. In the process, Apple has left an indelible mark that extends far beyond that first personal computer Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak introduced 35 years ago. Since then, Apple has...

Students and teachers at Burlington High School next fall will be helping to break new ground in Massachusetts on incorporating technology in the classroom. The school will be distributing Apple iPad 2s to students for use at school and at home. The district plans to acquire the computer tablets in a three-year lease-purchase with Apple, and then provide them to be used for free to all students who choose to participate. “We just want give our kids access to the most current technology out there … so they know how to use it when they go to their next stop of college or the workforce,’’ said...

An explosion at one of two factories that make Apple’s new iPad 2 highlights the risks of a global manufacturing strategy that has cut costs but concentrates production in a few locations. Foxconn Technology Group, the contractor that manufactures Apple’s iPhones and iPads, said Friday’s blast in the western city of Chengdu killed three employees and injured 15. The Taiwanese company said production was suspended but did not respond to questions Monday about how supplies of iPads might be affected.

After a few hours with the new iPad, I’m inclined to suggest that you rush right out and buy an old iPad. They’re still around, you know, and selling for $100 off. It’s a nice deal on an excellent machine. As for the iPad 2, my feelings are mixed. Is it thinner that the old iPad? Yes. Lighter? A bit. Faster? Absolutely. Still, it’s nowhere near the global game changer the first iPad proved to be. I wonder how many of the people who stood in line with me at the local Best Buy already owned a first-generation iPad.

NEW YORK - Hewlett-Packard Co. has cut prices of TouchPad tablet computers by $100 one month after introducing the product, a move that may help the company compete with Apple Inc.'s market-leading iPad. TouchPads cost $399.99 for a 16-gigabyte model and $499.99 for a 32-gigabyte version, according to HP's website. The Palo Alto, Calif., company had said it would charge $499.99 for 16 gigabytes and $599.99 for 32 gigabytes. The tablet market is dominated by the iPad, which generated $6 billion in sales in the most recent quarter.

A year after Hewlett-Packard Co. purchased flailing Palm, the technology behemoth is rolling out the first tablet that uses Palm’s webOS operating system. The July 1 release should be a triumph for HP, showcasing its ability to compete in the increasingly crowded tablet market. Yet while the TouchPad’s software is beautiful and intuitive, overall the tablet is more of a “meh-sterpiece’’ than a masterpiece. The TouchPad looks a lot like its peers: It’s black and shiny with just a few buttons dotting its frame.

OK, you can buy that iPad 2 now. That’s my message to those of you who’ve been holding back as a host of major companies unveiled their answers to Apple Inc.’s immensely popular tablet computer. Why would anyone have bought an iPad earlier in the year, when rivals like Motorola Corp. and BlackBerry creator Research In Motion LLC were rushing new products to market? And then there’s Hewlett-Packard Co., the world’s biggest computer company. What about their new tablet, the TouchPad?

Apple fans and would-be customers seemed to agree that while Steve Jobs' charisma and innovative genius is one-of-a-kind, the company he built will survive without him. After he resigned as CEO of the iconic gadget maker, Jobs was not the topic of conversation. On the display computers set up around the Apple store on Manhattan's swanky Fifth Avenue across from Central Park, people scrolled through Facebook photos, checked bank account balances and watched videos on YouTube.

THE SITUATION: Apple said Wednesday that Steve Jobs resigned from the CEO post — a move that seems to be motivated by his ongoing health issues. Jobs had been on indefinite medical leave since January. Tim Cook, Apple's chief operating officer, was named CEO. He had been Apple's acting CEO since January. UNDER PRESSURE: Now, Apple will have to show it can keep up the momentum it has built with products such as the iPhone and iPad. INDUSTRY WATCHERS: Analysts think that while Jobs is important to Apple, the company will...

iOS apps Two interesting apps for Apple Inc.'s iOS were unveiled last week. One was for a download for real and would-be DJs, which will have you cutting and scratching on your iPad's screen. The other app will have you itching and scratching at bugs on your scalp, real or imagined. The fun one, called djay for iPad, presents users with a magnificent image of two turntables, complete with mixer, equalizer, and other controls. The app automatically analyzes songs in your iTunes playlist, calculating their beats per minute, for example.

Hewlett-Packard Co. sank to a six-year low after it announced third-quarter results and said it will shut its mobile devices business, try spinning off its PC business, and pay about $10 billion for software maker Autonomy Corp. H-P is focusing on the corporate market. Its consumer business has struggled to compete with the iPhone and iPad, and phones and tablets running Google's Android software.

Just when I was starting to get bored with tablet computers, Apple Inc. found a way to make them exciting again - by trying to have one of them outlawed. At Apple's behest, a court in Germany issued an injunction barring Samsung Corp. from selling its latest Galaxy Tab device in that country. The message was clear: Apple doesn't like the new Galaxy Tab 10.1. Not one little bit. I had to try one, just to find out why. Sure enough, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is the best tablet whose name doesn't begin with the letter "i. " This larger, thinner version of the...

Dell Inc.'s decision to cut its revenue forecast for the year shows how computer makers are getting pulled in two directions at once, stretching some investors' faith to a breaking point. Corporate and government demand for PCs has been strong for the past year, helping to lift the industry after the Great Recession. But consumer demand has collapsed because of high unemployment and the lure of new gadgets such as tablet computers and smartphones. Worrisome new economic signs and budget cuts threaten to hamper the recovery.

CAMBRIDGE — The garage at the CambridgeSide Galleria opens at 4:30 a.m., and yesterday a line of cars was waiting when a security guard raised the gate to begin what has become a ritual these last two weeks: the iPad dash. Down the ramp. Park quickly. Sprint up two flights of escalators — they won’t be turned on for hours — and race to the front of the Apple Store. Then wait 4 ½ hours for the store to open and hope for the best. Two weeks after the iPad 2 went on sale, the competition to buy it remains brutal.

SAN FRANCISCO — The billboards promoting the iPad have a simple message: The tablet is a device for leisure, to be held on one’s lap while lounging on a couch in casual clothes, to watch a film or read a magazine. But plenty of businesses have something stodgier in mind. Companies as diverse as General Electric, Wells Fargo & Co., Mercedes-Benz, and Medtronic are putting Apple Inc.’s iPad to work in their offices. And as a string of devices tailored for the office enters the market — from the likes of Motorola, Research In Motion, Samsung, and Hewlett-Packard —...

The distributor of electronics accessories forecast 2011 revenue of at least $160 million, more than the average analyst estimate of $147 million. Zagg, of Salt Lake City, said quarterly net income rose 42 percent to $2.7 million, helped by an acquisition. Its products have become more popular since rapper M.C. Hammer appeared on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in February and showed the ZAGGmate, a case and keyboard for Apple's popular iPad.

NEW YORK - Hewlett-Packard Co. has cut prices of TouchPad tablet computers by $100 one month after introducing the product, a move that may help the company compete with Apple Inc.'s market-leading iPad. TouchPads cost $399.99 for a 16-gigabyte model and $499.99 for a 32-gigabyte version, according to HP's website. The Palo Alto, Calif., company had said it would charge $499.99 for 16 gigabytes and $599.99 for 32 gigabytes. The tablet market is dominated by the iPad, which generated $6 billion in sales in the most recent quarter.