COMPANIES

Last month, Apple brought to the world the first Retina display tablet - the New iPad - and following on the same line, the big honchos in the tablet arena announced their plans of introducing the similar technology in their tablet brands.

Apple will reportedly release a new lineup of MacBook Pro laptops as early as May, but many expect the advanced laptops to be unveiled in June, just in time for the Worldwide Developer's Conference in San Francisco.

Shares of Qualcomm (Nasdaq: QCOM), the biggest designer of mobile chips, plunged more than 5 percent in early Thursday trading after missing second-quarter earnings estimates.

At a time when the smartphone lovers are busy churning out all possible features of Apple's next generation iPhone, it is apt to do a reality check. Some of the patents are like unibody design, ultrasonic bonding, iWallet, NFC, Universal Remote Control and etc. which Apple recently won might be featured in the next iPhone.

Human Genome Sciences Inc has rejected an unsolicited bid worth around $2.6 billion from long-time partner GlaxoSmithKline Plc, marking a new takeover battle in a drugs sector that has been swept by M&A recently.

Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. (NYSE: FCX), the world's largest publicly-traded copper producer, reported lower first-quarter profits as production and sales fell at its giant Indonesian mine due to sometimes violent labor disputes. But results beat analyst expectations and shares jumped.

Amid the Samsung and Apple flagship model's launch buzz drifting to new levels in the mobile space every single day, tech enthusiasts might not be able to ignore this combined piece of news about the three powerful launches which are heading for the US release very soon. Yes, the spill is about the latest announcement by two major smartphone manufacturers, including HTC and Huawei.

Days of rumors regarding Galaxy S3 are gone, at least that's what we thought when we heard the news about Samsung's invitation for a press event in London May 3. However, we appear to be wrong as seemingly the smartphone lovers are not letting the rumors die. The latest one which rolled out of the rumor mill is another leaked image of Galaxy S3.

Former Research In Motion co-chief executive Jim Balsillie sought to reinvent the BlackBerry smartphone maker with a radical shift in strategy before he stepped down, two sources with knowledge of his plans said.

General Motors (GM.N) and Chinese partner SAIC Motor Corp. (600104.SS) have agreed to let GM to buy back the 1 percent share of the joint venture the Detroit automaker sold during its financial crisis several years ago, according to a source familiar with the plan.

General Electric Co. is expected to report slightly weaker first-quarter earnings because of a backlog of low-margin thermal and industrial equipment plus slow health care revenue growth.

Cameron International Corp. (NYSE: CAM), a provider of flow equipment products, systems and services to the energy industry, has reached a deal to acquire Bergen, Norway-based TTS Group ASA's (OSE:TTS) drilling equipment business for $270 million plus additional payments for three years based on their revenues.

Apple may make its next iPhone considerably thinner and lighter thanks to some recently-licensed patents for liquid metal, which the company acquired in 2010 from Delaware-based Liquidmetal Technologies. The same report also says the iPhone will release and launch date is June 2012.

The Obama administration's Supreme Court attorney asked the justices to review the Federal Communications Commission's $550,000 fine against CBS for airing the infamous Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction during the 2004 Super Bowl.

Swedish retailer IKEA unveiled its interpetation of an integrated television on Monday, called the UPPLEVA, which means to experience. Even though Apple's late founder Steve Jobs had envisioned such a TV for his own company, it looks like IKEA will be the first to ship such an experience.

The Seaside, N.J., home that houses the Jersey Shore gang has been vandalized! While it might not come as a surprise since the inside of the house was frequently vandalized by its famous reality star tenants, but on the outside has been tagged by hoards of fans.

T-Mobile Girl Carly Foulkes traded in her signature hot pink summer dresses for a racy all leather ensemble in the mobile carrier's new ad.

48 years after the debut of the original Mustang, the Ford Motor Company has decided to give the Pony Car a complete makeover for. The new model is said to be gearing up for a 2015 release.

Swiss drugmaker Roche Holding AG (ROG.VX) said Wednesday that it decided not to extend beyond Friday a $6.8 billion hostile offer for gene sequencing specialist Illumina Inc. (Nasdaq: ILMN) after forecasting that the incumbents directors of Illumina will be re-elected.

As Ohio prepares for its first execution in six months, Mark Wiles requested a large pizza with pepperoni and extra cheese and hot sauce, among other things for his last meal on the eve of his expiration.

Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD), the No. 2 microprocessor developer, has nowhere to go but up. Investors this year have sent its shares soaring nearly 50 percent.

Argentina's plan to seize control of oil and gas company YPF SA from Spain's Repsol YPF has ended years of deliberations by China's Sinopec Group to purchase the company. The move has also caused international condemnation.

The Flashback Trojan isn't so easy to dismantle, after all. Even though Apple released two software updates and an additional removal tool that was said to eliminate the malware that affected about 600,000 Macs, roughly 140,000 Mac computers are still infected.

The CEO of Chesapeake Energy Corp. (NYSE: CHK), the nation's second-largest natural gas producer, has received over $1.1 billion in unreported loans over three years, Reuters reported on Wednesday.

Kelley Blue Book selected the 2012 Toyota Prius c as the number one green car of 2012 as part of its 10 Best Green Cars of 2012 on Tuesday, using criteria like mileage, material conservation, and technological application.

Honeywell International Inc. signed a $2.8 billion deal to provide airplane Wi-Fi hardware for Inmarsat PLC's Global Xpress network, Honeywell announced Wednesday.

SXC Health Solutions Corp. (Nasdaq: SXCI) agreed on Wednesday to buy fellow pharmacy benefit manager Catalyst Health Solutions Inc. (Nasdaq: CHSI) for about $4.4 billion in cash and stock, to expand its presence in the business of paying and processing prescription drug claims.

In a recent development, Microsoft has unveiled the three editions of its next Windows products, namely, the consumer-friendly Windows 8, the more advanced and versatile Windows 8 Pro and the tablet-friendly Windows RT.

Shares of Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK/A) shrugged off news that CEO Warren E. Buffett has prostate cancer and will require treatment soon.