With OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion set to arrive this month, Apple's latest operating system will become available at least two months earlier than Microsoft's competing Windows 8.

Apple's next-generation MacBook Pro represents a marriage between the design of the whisper-thin MacBook Air and the power of the previous MacBook Pro. But it's the feature that sets this notebook apart — its high-resolution Retina display — that makes this new notebook decidedly more "Pro" than "Air."

The next major update to OS X, known as Mountain Lion, will become publicly available for $19.99 on the Mac App Store in July, Apple announced on Monday.

Yesterday, Facebook unveiled its App Center for web-based apps that integrate with the company's social network. Rather than being a new competitor to Apple's iOS App Store however, the program is enabling iOS developers to leverage the benefits of a social graph.

According to recent research there has been a huge shift in what handsets U.S. federal managers use on the job, with many moving away from RIM's BlackBerry platform for more capable iOS and Android solutions.

The new Apple TV delivers 1080p video along with the features and revamped user interface of "Software Update 5," a free update to existing second generation Apple TV users.

Apple’s third-generation iPad offers major improvements in its hardware, software and Internet cloud services, but retains the same overall form factor, price and extended battery life of its predecessor.

While Apple's much-anticipated foray into the connected television segment is unlikely to materialize until 2013, moves by the company in recent weeks point to an intermediate refresh of the existing Apple TV product to coincide with the release of new iPad models early next month.

System updates are now sensibly converged with a refreshed App Store in this summer's release of OS X Mountain Lion, centralizing software updates and adding automatic app installs for all your iCloud-registered Macs.

Microsoft is readying a significant update to SkyDrive in Windows 8, and reportedly leaked screenshots of the revamped file syncing and cloud storage service show that a Mac OS X client could be poised to compete with Apple's iCloud.

Best Buy is no longer selling the Apple TV on its website, prompting speculation that a new model from Apple is soon to arrive.

Apple on Thursday announced Mac OS X 10.8, dubbed "Mountain Lion," the next major release of its Mac operating system, set to launch on the Mac App Store this summer, with a preview now available for Mac developers.

As the largest buyer of semiconductors worldwide, Apple is leading a global trend in chip expenditures that has pushed wireless devices past the sales of computer chips.

Though Apple is not present at this year's Consumer Electronics Show, the company's influence is felt on many of the products there, particularly with respect to new voice control functionality found in smartphones and televisions.

Build-to-order iMacs with 2-terabyte hard drives now have an estimated shipping time of 5 to 7 weeks, in what is potentially the first sign of Apple being hit by a lingering global hard drive shortage.

Black Friday has brought an assortment of discounts on essential Mac software, including up to 50% off Adobe's products, Microsoft Office for Mac 2011 for $69.99, and VMWare Fusion for $29.99.

Much like Apple did with the release of Mac OS X 10.7 Lion in July, Microsoft plans to make the simplest and easiest method of installing Windows 8 a download over the Internet.

As some users continue to report battery life issues running Mac OS X 10.7 Lion on older MacBooks, Apple continues to look into the problem in hopes of finding a solution.

Despite the coming availability of a new generation of Sandy Bridge desktop CPUs suitable for advancing Apple's Mac Pro line, the company has reportedly been evaluating whether to continue to invest in furthering its full-sized workstation line beyond this year in the face of limited sales.

Apple on Tuesday posted yet another record quarter to conclude its fiscal year 2011, led by continued growth of its iPad and Mac platforms. Following the news, executives from Apple participated in a conference call with analysts, and notes of interest follow.

Even more Apple-built iPhone and iPad applications were improved Wednesday for iOS 5, with the iWork suite, iMovie, Remote and Find My iPhone receiving updates. Also, the company released a new iTunes Movie Trailers application, along with its previously announced Cards ordering software.

Apple's latest reference release of its mobile platform, iOS 5, isn't going to leave users wondering if they should upgrade. It's free, it has no real downsides, and has no competition among iPhone, iPod touch and IPad users. But here's a look at what's new and why it matters.

Steven Paul Jobs struggled with cancer and related health complications in a battle he sadly could not overcome, but he has left behind an incredible legacy of applied technology that shifted the course of human progress in dramatic ways, and founded a company, and a culture, that promise to continue his passionate drive to make tools that are not just intuitive, but aspire to be insanely great.

As part of Apple's strategy to encourage digital software purchases through its Mac App Store, the company has begun informing educational resellers that it will no longer offer most boxed software.

Reports continue to surface that Apple will discontinue the iPod classic after an impressive 10-year run, while the iPod shuffle is also expected to get the ax as the company moves toward a multi-touch lineup for its iconic portable media players.

Apple has updated its Mac App Store to warn users who already bought and installed an application outside of the App Store if they attempt to buy it again through the digital download service.

Back-to-school Mac sales once again easily outgrew Windows PCs this year, even though Apple did not offer a free iPod touch and discontinued its education-focused white MacBook this summer.

Intuit on Wednesday announced QuickBooks for Mac 2012, the latest version of its financial software, with more than 50 new features designed to save small businesses time.

Parallels Desktop 7 became publicly available on Tuesday, packing more than 90 new and enhanced features, including Mac OS X Lion integration, performance boosts, and the new Parallels Mobile application.

Apple on Tuesday released Mac OS X 10.7.1, its first security and maintenance update for the newly released Lion operating system, with improved Wi-Fi reliability and resolutions for issues related to HDMI and optical audio output.

For those who don't want to purchase Mac OS X 10.7 Lion from the Mac App Store for $29.99, Apple is now selling the $69 USB install drive in its online store.

Apple's growth has been called the "ultimate platform adoption story" in a new analysis, which sees the potential for Mac and iPhone market shares to double or even triple in the next few years.

Last year at its "Back to the Mac" event, Apple launched a revamped pair of 11 and 13 inch MacBook Air models that borrowed hardware details from the iPad. This year, the company's duo of light and thin notebooks get some notable hardware enhancements but also benefit significantly from Mac OS X Lion, which incorporates a variety of iPad software features.

Apple and Google's interest in securing wireless patents has driven up the cost of intellectual property so much that one potential acquisition is projected to command a 50 percent premium.

Apple's new Thunderbolt-enhanced, fourth generation MacBook Air models upgrade the company's light and thin notebook category with new high-speed connectivity; faster, more powerful Core i5 and i7 processors; faster RAM; larger SSD options, support for Bluetooth 4.0 and a new backlit keyboard.

A handful of Mac users have reported problems upgrading their system to Mac OS X 10.7 Lion, with various error messages, problems and quirks stemming from the Mac App Store download.

For those who want to have their copy of Lion saved on a physical medium, Apple will make the Mac OS X upgrade available on a USB thumb drive through its online store in August, but at a cost more than twice the price of the Mac App Store.

Mac OS X 10.7 Lion, Apple's highly anticipated next-generation operating system, is now available to purchase on the Mac App Store for $29.99, weighing in at 3.49GB.

Wall Street analysts were stunned by Apple's record quarterly earnings on Tuesday, noting that there seems to be no end in sight for the company's "upside parade."

Gearing up for an anticipated launch this week, Apple has begun delivering promotional materials for Lion, its next-generation operating system, to third-party retailers across the globe.

Apple on Wednesday posted a list of frequently asked questions on its website to address growing concern among video professionals over the newly released Final Cut Pro X.

Retailer Best Buy has put a hold on online MacBook Air orders, providing further evidence that Apple plans to release an updated version of its diminutive laptop.

Apple has announced prices and deployment plans for its education and business customers installing Mac OS X and Mac OS X Server, with licenses starting at $29.99 in volume.

As expected, Apple on Thursday began its annual back-to-school sale, offering students a $100 Mac App Store gift card along with the purchase of a qualifying Mac.

An anticipated refresh to the MacBook Air lineup, bringing Intel's latest generation Sandy Bridge processors, as well as the launch of Lion could boost Apple's thin-and-light notebook to build orders of 1.5 million per quarter, one Wall Street analyst believes.

Apple this week quickly issued an update for its new iTunes in the Cloud beta, with version 10.3.1 of the media software issued over Software Update with no additional accompanying information.

The newly announced iCloud service is expected to further drive sales of iOS devices as users become even more tied in to Apple's increasingly proprietary ecosystem, analysts on Wall Street believe.

Apple announced on Monday that Mac OS X 10.7 Lion will be available only in the Mac App Store, and the operating system upgrade will be available for just $29.99.

Music industry insiders allege that Apple's forthcoming iCloud service will have an initial free period for iTunes Music Store customers, but the company plans to eventually charge a $25 a year subscription fee.

Research firm Gartner sees Apple's iPad controlling the lion's share of the tablet market for the next three years, and remaining the top mobile platform in terms of sales through at least 2015.