New iPad sales cross 3mn: Apple

Apple announced it has sold three million of its incredible new iPad, since its launch on Friday, March 16. The new iPad features a stunning new Retina display, Apple’s new A5X chip with quad-core graphics, a 5 megapixel iSight camera with advanced optics for capturing amazing photos and 1080p HD video, and still delivers the same all-day 10 hour battery life* while remaining amazingly thin and light. iPad Wi-Fi + 4G supports ultrafast 4G LTE networks in the US and Canada, and fast networks around the world including those based on HSPA+ and DC-HSDPA. "The new iPad is a blockbuster with three million sold?the strongest iPad launch yet," said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. "Customers are loving the incredible new features of iPad, including the stunning Retina display, and we can't wait to get it into the hands of even more customers around the world this Friday."

The new iPad is already available in the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Switzerland, UK and the US Virgin Islands and will be available in 24 more countries starting at 8:00 a.m. local time on Friday, March 23 through the Apple Online Store (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and select Apple Authorized Resellers, including Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macau, Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.

The new iPad Wi-Fi models are available in black or white for a suggested retail price of US$499 (US) for the 16GB model, US$599 (US) for the 32GB model, US$699 (US) for the 64GB model. iPad Wi-Fi + 4G for either AT&T or Verizon is available for a suggested retail price of US$629 (US) for the 16GB model, US$729 (US) for the 32GB model and US$829 (US) for the 64GB model. iPad is sold in the US through the Apple Online Store (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and select Apple Authorized Resellers. Additionally, the incredible iPad 2 is now offered at a more affordable price of US$399 (US) for the 16GB Wi-Fi model and just US$529 (US) for the 16GB Wi-Fi + 3G model.

Steve Jobs - The Apple of this generation’s eye dies at 56

Apple co-founder Steve Jobs died at the age of 56 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. Jobs was surrounded by his wife and immediate family when he died in Palo Alto, California. Jobs is survived by his wife Laurene and five children, as well as his sister, the novelist Mona Simpson. The iPod, iPhone and iPad are his gifts to the world. "Steve's brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives. The world is immeasurably better because of Steve," Apple said in a statement. "His greatest love was for his wife, Laurene, and his family. Our hearts go out to them and to all who were touched by his extraordinary gifts." Apple changed it's website to a big black-and-white photograph of him with the caption "Steve Jobs: 1955-2011." Jobs took a medical leave from Apple in January and stepped down as chief executive in August saying he could "no longer meet (his) duties and expectations." Born on February 24, 1955, and then adopted, Jobs grew up in Cupertino, California - which today is home to Apple's headquarters. Jobs launched Apple Computer Inc. with co-founder Steve Wozniak. They built their first commercial product, the Apple 1, in Jobs' parents' garage in 1976. Jobs sold off his Volkswagen to help finance the venture. The computer, priced at ~US$666, had no keyboard or display, and customers had to assemble it themselves.

Apple co-founder sold 10% stake for 800$

Ronald Wayne, the "adult supervisor" entrusted to settle any disputes between youngsters Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, received 10% of the computer company he helped found.

Just a few weeks later, he sold that stake for $800, according to his memoir, "Adventures Of An Apple Founder."

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Steve Jobs resigns as Apple CEO

Steve Jobs, the mind behind the iPhone, iPad and other devices that turned Apple Inc. (AAPL) into one of the world's most powerful companies, resigned as the company's CEO on Wednesday, saying he can no longer handle the job.

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Apple - ExxonMobil Corp Charts - Most Valuable Company

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Apple introduces new iPods

Apple unveiled the latest editions of iPod portable music and video players, cutting the prices of the iPod touch and launching a redesigned iPod nano to capitalise on the holiday shopping season. Apple cut the price of its touch-screen iPod touch, which is similar to the iPhone, but doesn't allow one to make voice calls. Until Tuesday, the iPod touch carried a higher price than comparable iPhone models. The price of the 8GB version of the iPod touch was dropped to US $229 from US $299. It is still slightly above the US $199 price point of a 3G iPhone with comparable memory. The prices for the 16GB and 32GB versions of the iPod touch were cut by US $100 each, to US $299 and US $399, respectively. CEO Steve Jobs also showed off an iPod nano that will now come in an 8GB version for US$149. The 16GB version is slated to sell at US $199. The iPod nano will come in nine different colors and has also been redesigned to be narrower than its predecessor. It is the first major remodeling of the iPod nano in two years. In addition, Apple consolidated its iPod classic line into one version with 120GB of memory. The price of that device remains US $249.

iPhone: Is It Worth $500?

Apple Inc.'s feverishly anticipated iPhone combines the music and video features of an iPod with the communications functions of a smartphone. The question is how many consumers will be willing to pay the hefty price for the combo.

The iPhone has a sleek design and is only 11.6 millimeters thick. A 3.5-inch screen, bigger than on most iPods, extends for almost the entire length of the nearly button-free device. Instead of the iPod's iconic scroll wheel, users will navigate through their song collections, make phone calls and perform other tasks by tapping their fingers on the iPhone's touch-sensitive screen. Users of the iPhone will make calls or type emails on a virtual keyboard that pops up onscreen as needed.

Apple, of Cupertino, Calif., has an exclusive agreement with AT&T Inc.'s Cingular, the nation's largest cellular carrier by subscriber, to sell the iPhone in the U.S. for $499 and $599 -- well above mass-market cellphones -- with a commitment to a two-year wireless plan. Although it has been on a hot streak, Apple doesn't always hit it big when it enters new markets. The company collaborated with Motorola Corp. on a phone called ROKR that plays songs from users' iTunes music collections, but it was seen by many as a disappointment because of limited storage capacity.

Price Cut?

It's unclear if and when the prices for the iPhone might come down, as prices for electronics gear such as flat-screen television sets and video camcorders tend to do. While prices for the iPod have generally stayed in the same range over the years, consumers have been getting more features on new generations of iPods, essentially getting more for their money each time. With cellphones, the historical model has been for prices of such devices to come down quickly, with wireless carriers sometimes taking a loss on the products in order to get consumer subscription revenue.

In defense of the price of the iPhone, Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs said in a speech at the start of the Macworld conference in San Francisco that consumers normally have to pay $199 for a comparable iPod nano and $299 for a smartphone, which would lack many of the whiz bang features of the iPhone at roughly the same price.

With Cingular, Apple developed a feature the companies described as a major innovation, calling it "visual voice mail." Instead of having to wade through voice mail messages in the order in which they were left, iPhone users will see a list with the names and phone numbers of people who left them voice messages and tap to listen the messages in whichever order they like.

There are also sophisticated sensors within the product that, for instance, adjust the brightness level of the screen to make it more legible based on ambient lighting conditions. Another sensor automatically shifts the screen-orientation of the iPhone to landscape from portrait mode when a user holds the device between two hands, which will allow users to view movies and television shows in wide-screen mode.

Initially, users will load music, video and other content onto the iPhone from their computers, not wirelessly over the Cingular network. Executives in the music industry say Apple will need to negotiate new licensing agreements with music labels to obtain rights to sell songs wirelessly on the iPhone.