Apple shares touch $200; new iPhone panels in spring?

Shares in Apple Inc. temporarily broke the $200 barrier as investor enthusiasm took hold. Meanwhile, Apple may receive new iPhone touchscreen panels just in time for a potential model upgrade next year.

AAPL crosses $200 mark for the first time

On its first day after Dow Jones trading resumed following the Christmas break, Apple stock has crested the symbolic $200 mark — if temporarily.

Following a brief sell-off, shares climbed steadily and remained above the $200 level for about an hour in mid-afternoon trading, peaking at $200.96. The stock ultimately gained only slightly as the session closed, finishing at $198.95.

The gains are believed by analysts and investors to reflect an optimistic outlook on Apple's iPod sales during the holidays, which are allegedly the only ones unfazed by a downturn in the media player market as a whole.

Innolux may play role in 3G iPhone

The timing for the 3G iPhone may have been revealed by Taiwanese part supplier Innolux, according to a report from the region's Economic Daily News picked up by DigiTimes.

The paper refers to "industry sources" who claim Innolux will begin supplying touchscreens for the iPhone during the second quarter of 2008. To date, rival manufacturer Wintek has enjoyed much of the success along with multiple Japanese companies.

While potentially a coincidence, the timeframe lines up with assertions made by CNBC host Jim Goldman that an iPhone with faster 3G Internet access will be available by June.

Report: Apple investigating Brooklyn retail location

Apple is strongly considering one of Brooklyn's most upscale districts for its first retail shop in New York City outside of Manhattan and Staten Island, according to real estate sources in contact with ifo Apple Store.

The Mac maker is said to be considering 345 Adams Street, a public location in the borough's west end of which 40,000 square feet is being converted from offices to retail space.

A Marriott hotel sits nearby, but the space itself is allegedly coveted by several well-known retailers, including Banana Republic, Barney's, and The Gap.

Nokia invites Apple to its Ovi mobile portal

Nokia would be willing to link its Ovi web portal to the iTunes Store if Apple returns the favor, says one of the Finnish handset maker's board members, Anssi Vanjoki.

"In Finnish, Ovi means door," he says. "And our door is open. Of course, Apple can get into our portal. We even invite [Apple chief] Steve Jobs to do so."

The executive does not elaborate on how such a service would work, however. Protected songs from Apple's music service are incompatible with Nokia's cellphones and would require a license for FairPlay copy protection — a grant which Apple has historically resisted and provided only once as part of its early attempts at cellphone music.

Motorola's 2005-era ROKR had the ability to play the otherwise locked files through its iTunes client but lost that ability a year later, when Apple changed its protection formats in a way that prevented the playback of newer iTunes purchases.