Nicholas Kolakowski

Apple reported strong sales for the fiscal 2011 second quarter ended March 26, with revenues of $24.67 billion and net profit of $5.99 billion. That represents a significant rise from the year-ago quarter, when the company logged revenues of $13.50 billion and quarterly profit of $3.07 billion. Apple reported sales of 3.76 million Macs, a […]

Apple will ship the iPhone 5 in September, according to anonymous sources speaking to Reuters April 20. That means production on the next-generation smartphone will ramp up sometime in either July or August, the sources apparently added, with components supplied by Foxconn (casing), Wintek Corp (touch-screen), and Largan Precision Co Ltd (camera module). If that […]

On April 19, the Vietnamese Website Tinhte posted a video clip of a white iPhone 4 in action-complete with what seemed like a new multitasking menu, with thumbnail images of open apps arranged on a grid. This differs from the current multitasking model used by iOS, which presents open apps on a tray along the […]

Research In Motion’s BlackBerry PlayBook tablet hits store shelves April 19. Can the device overcome a spate of mediocre and negative reviews? That remains a key question for RIM, which is depending on the PlayBook to help reinvigorate its brand at a time when Apple, Google and other competitors are making great strides in the […]

Whether Microsoft wins or loses the intellectual property case currently before the U.S. Supreme Court, patent law is likely to change in radical ways in the near future. If Microsoft triumphs in this last-ditch appeal to the nation’s highest court, it could establish a precedent that makes it easier for big companies to knock down […]

Microsoft has introduced the public beta of its Office 365, the company’s cloud-productivity offering and current best chance for driving back the threat presented by Google Apps and similar platforms. Microsoft has a habit of launching large-scale betas for its products, the better to apparently weed out bugs and other issues ahead of the general […]

Microsoft and Canadian firm i4i have had their day in the nation’s highest court, with the software giant arguing that longstanding standards for patent infringement should be lowered. In doing so, Microsoft hopes to end a years-long battle against i4i over patents related to custom XML. Chief Justice John Roberts, who apparently owns Microsoft stock, […]

Research In Motion’s PlayBook offers users a BlackBerry-branded alternative to the Apple iPad and other tablets currently flooding the market. But does the 7-inch PlayBook offer enough unique features-and few enough drawbacks-to persuade consumers and businesses to choose it over any of those competitors? That’s a question that RIM needs answered in the affirmative. While […]

Microsoft’s week involved two conferences, featuring executives who detailed plans for the cloud and products such as Windows Phone 7. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, speaking April 11 at the Convergence conference in Atlanta, reiterated his company’s focus on the cloud. “Make no mistake, when it comes to the cloud, Microsoft’s all in,” he told the […]

Research In Motion has high hopes for the PlayBook. Not only will its proprietary QNX operating system eventually power the company’s smartphones, but RIM hopes the BlackBerry-branded tablet will establish a robust presence in a market currently dominated by Apple’s iPad. At first glance, though, the PlayBook has more in common with other tablets on […]

Microsoft plans to start pushing Internet Explorer 9 to Windows 7 and Windows Vista users via Windows Update, in a likely bid to rapidly increase adoption of its new browser. “On April 18, a little over a month after the final release of IE9, we will be ready to start the rollout of IE9 to […]

Apple has poached a cloud executive from Microsoft, according to reports. The Green (Low Carbon) Data Center Blog reported April 13 that Apple has hired Kevin Timmons, general manager of Microsoft’s Datacenter Services unit. Microsoft confirmed that the executive is moving on, although Apple has not yet returned eWEEK’s request for comment. “Kevin Timmons, general […]