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Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT), the world's biggest software company, has won major support from smartphone makers led by Samsung Electronics (Seoul: 005930) to battle Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL), the world's most valuable technology company.

It may not be the sexiest feature, but it may be one of the most rumored. Although Apple doesn't discuss product pre-releases, several tech sites claim that Apple has built smaller dock connectors for its new phone, dubbed the iPhone 5, by some. TechCrunch is the latest to report on the mini dock connector, but the first to confirm it.

Rumors about Apple ditching the current 30-pin dock connector in favor of something smaller are nothing new. Reports surfaced last month suggesting that Apple would bring the change to its upcoming iPhone iteration, presumably called the iPhone 5.

Paul Simon once crooned: Every generation sends a hero up the pop charts. But the heroes of the latest generation of young music-hungry consumers are finding it difficult to get them to actually buy their work.

Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL), the world's most valuable technology company, said service had been restored to the iCloud after several hours of disruption on Wednesday.

Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL), the world's most valuable technology company, has won a small victory in its battle against rival and supplier Samsung Electronics (Seoul: 005930).

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) stirred controversy following reports that employees of Apple stores have refused to sell products to customers overheard speaking Farsi, the language of Iran, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said in a statement Wednesday.

The next generation Apple iPhone, unofficially dubbed the iPhone 5, has already created much hype around the tech world months before its expected release. But according to Pacific Crest analyst Andy Hargreaves, high expectations related to iPhone 5 among Apple fans all around the world could cause a larger-than-expected pause in buying iPhones ahead of the device's release later this year.

Microsoft has always been known as a software company, but that perception changed on Monday when the company unveiled its first-ever tablet in Los Angeles. Even though Apple popularized the tablet genre with the iPad, Microsoft's Surface tablet will directly compete with the bestselling tablet, as it is slightly thinner, features a bigger screen, and it can also do several things the iPad can't do, such as type well or sit up straight.

In a radical shift for Bill Gates' 37-year-old software company, Microsoft unveiled a tablet in Los Angeles on Monday. The Surface aims to be a direct competitor to Apple's iPad, sporting a form factor that's thinner than Apple's tablet, and it also tackles several things the award-winning iPad can't do, like type well or stand up straight.

Foxconn, Apple?s major manufacturing partner, has expressed interest in buying more shares in Sharp, according to Slash Gear. This is fueling rumors that the companies are working towards Apple?s rumored ?iTV,? although there has been no official word on the device?s development.

Intel (Nasdaq: INTC), the No. 1 chipmaker, said it would acquire 1,700 patents from wireless specialist InterDigital Inc. for $375 million.

Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White Monday upped his one-year target price on Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL), the world's most valuable technology company, to $1,111 from $1,001.

The MacBook Pro With Retina display will ship from Apple in three to four weeks, the Apple Store website says. This is a further delay from the two to three weeks Apple told customers they'd have to wait for the laptop as recently as a few days ago, technology website Vr-zone reported Friday.

As expected, Apple unveiled iOS 6 -- the next-gen mobile operating system for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch -- the 2012 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in San Francisco. Nobody knew what Apple would include in its latest update for iOS, but with more than 200 new features added to the mobile platform, this will the most comprehensive update Apple has ever released to its mobile devices.

With the new iPad having the 4G LTE technology, the consensus seems to be that the upcoming iPhone 5 will be Apple's first smartphone to sport a 4G LTE chip. According to a latest report surfaced Friday, chip vendors including Qualcomm and Broadcom are preparing production to supply Apple with their solutions for the upcoming iPhone iteration.

Those looking to purchase Apple's MacBook Pro with Retina display will certainly learn to conserve their notebook personal computer's battery power, for one big reason: It will be pretty expensive to replace the glued-down battery in the new notebook PC, reported ComputerWorld.

Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT), the world's biggest software company, is expected to make a new consumer push by announcing its own Windows Tablet for shipment next quarter, industry analysts said.

Before Apple shocked the WWDC audience with a completely-redesigned MacBook Pro with a stunning Retina Display, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted Apple would unveil such a notebook, and he even correctly forecast most of the features. On Thursday, describes how Apple will follow up the 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro with a smaller, 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display, to be released in October 2012.

Much to the consternation of would-be buyers, Apple Inc.'s (NASDAQ: AAPL) MacBook Pro with Retina display is totally sold out in the city of New York, just three days after the new laptop was announced at the company's World Wide Developer's Conference (WWDC) 2012.

Apple was expected to update nearly every computer for the 2012 WWDC, including every iMac, Mac Pro, MacBook Pro and MacBook Air. But while fans were generally pleased by what was announced, the iMac got no love from Apple. According to MacRumors, however, new iMacs may be hitting shelves sooner rather than later.

Time Inc., the largest magazine publisher in the U.S., has decided to embrace digital distribution. On Wednesday, Time Inc. announced that it will make all of its magazines available over the Newsstand application built by Apple, which exists on its iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch devices.

Before Apple developed the iOS 6, the iPhone or the iPad, apparently its inventory consisted of, among other things, bright-colored clothing.

Dutch navigation software specialist TomTom (Pink: TMOAF) got a major boost this week as Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL), the world's most valuable technology company, said it would collaborate with it on new software for the iPhone 4S family.

Announced on Monday at WWDC 2012 in San Francisco, the new MacBook Pro with Retina Display has been completely redesigned by Apple from the ground up. Several new architectural features have been included outside and inside the computer shell to make the computer stronger, faster and less noisy, but the real showstopper is the display.

The Samsung Galaxy S3 will be launching in the U.S on schedule, after Apple lost a bid to impose a court ban on the phone.

After 28 years, Dell (Nasdaq: DELL), the No. 3 computer company, plans to pay shareholders a small dividend, 8 cents a quarter. Later this year, Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL), the world's most valuable technology company, will resume paying dividends after 17 years.

Dell (Nasdaq: DELL), the No. 3 computer maker, announced its first quarterly dividend of 8 cents a share as a way to reduce some of its $17.2 billion cash pile.

Apple has confirmed that new models and new designs of the Mac Pro are in the works and might be released in 2013.