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Apple iWatch hits pre-production as product tests begin

Apple's iWatch is perhaps the world's worst kept secret, so it's becoming increasingly clear the new device will be one of the most advanced gadgets around, bringing new materials and production processes to the mass market.

Google threatens Apple's brand leadership as Samsung's Galaxy shines

Apple remains the world's most valuable brand, but Tim Cook's people will likely be infuriated at the rise of arch-nemesis, Samsung, which has gained 51 percent in brand value across the last year while Google continues to threaten Cupertino's leadership.

Now even iPads seem delayed as Apple targets fall

Apple appears likely to maintain its slow product release schedule as it seems set not to introduce its thinner and lighter fifth-generation iPad and iPad mini 2 until late summer as partners prepare to begin trial production of the new devices. Volume production begins in July.

Smartphone biz hits component barrier as Apple loses its throne

Apple has a problem: the iPhone has been beaten out of first place by Samsung's devices. Yet the company also has one big advantage -- it makes software.

Apple: 205 days since a big reveal and the wait continues

Does anyone still remember the olden days when doomed Apple shipped products? Those days appear gone, giving Foxconn a headache and turning all our predictions upside down: 205 days have passed since Apple gave us a significant product release.

DoJ summons spirit of Steve Jobs in Apple iBooks case

Apple seems set to take the stand to argue DoJ charges it conspired to introduce an agency price model for eBooks, raising online book prices by up to $3 for a period subsequent to launch of the iBookstore.

Can Nokia's good-not-great Lumia 925 stand up to Apple's new range when it hits US this summer?

It may be light, robust and made to a high specification, but the new Lumia 925 smartphone from Nokia has failed to impress industry-watchers, despite its relatively low price; will Stephen Elop's latest shiny shiny toy help turn the tide against Apple and Google's Android empire, or has Nokia missed its call?

Why did Steve Jobs cancel dinner with Bill Gates? A) 'I'm sick', B) 'I'm an asshole'

The death of Apple co-founder, Steve Jobs, still visibly moves close rival and later friend, Microsoft's Bill Gates, who talked about the two men's final meeting at the home of the ailing tech Svengali on CBS last night, revealing the depth of respect that grew between the two.

Google should think before it unloads its Wallet

Google has a bad habit -- a terrible one: it leaps before it thinks. That's precisely what's happened in the company's adventures in NFC-based payment systems within Google Wallet. While this gave the company a short-lived PR advantage against Apple and the iPhone, that advantage failed to translate into anything of any significance whatsoever for most human beings on the planet.

Go on Microsoft: Give Office for iOS, take iTunes for Windows 8

Microsoft is doomed in its attempt to slow Apple'siPad sales by denying iOS users a mobile version of Office as the iPad maker controls the most searched for app on the Windows 8 store -- iTunes. Surely there's a deal in that?

Pegatron, Foxconn recruit thousands as Apple's major product release cycle spells iPhone

Climb aboard the Apple rumor train as manufacturers Pegatron and Foxconn begin major recruitment in preparation to produce millions of new and low cost iPhones as part of Cupertino's major new product introduction cycle.

Opinion: Apple plots Maps counter-attack as the Android war intensifies

It's fair to say Maps got off to a difficult start, but Apple is prioritizing improvements, working to ensure it does eventually compete with Google Maps -- why else will a future upgrade to the latter feature map tiles that seem similar to those used in the iOS app?

EU, Motorola, Apple: How long will Google's 'Don't be evil' fiction last?

Apple has won yet another argument against its Android nemesis as EU officials declare Google's Motorola Mobility abused its market position when it filed an injunction against Apple. It's a decision that strongly suggests Android is not truly about open competition and choice, so how long can the "don't be evil" fiction be believed?

Will Apple's flat iOS society please shut up?

Apple is working hard to redesign iOS 7. This important project is demanding resources from elsewhere in the company as it abandons some skeumorphic elements to create a cleaner, more user-focused interface. That's all we think we know. But it's time to shut up about it.

Adobe's Lightroom app for iOS is yet another step to Post-PC

We're at the dawn of a Post-PC age, at least according to Adobe which is developing a powerful iOS app for Photoshop Lightroom, putting the Mac and PC another few steps further into the background as it does.