But the talismanic CEO kept fans guessing over the revolutionary touch-screen 'Tablet'

Apple's media extravaganza next week is being greeted with unusual calm, as it is uncertain if charismatic CEO Steve Jobs will appear and investors have nothing much to bet on apart from new iPods with cameras.

The war between Google, Apple and Microsoft is hotting up thanks to new search engines, unexpected alliances and accusations of Soviet-style tactics

So three years after taking a seat on the Apple board of directors, Eric Schmidt, the CEO of Google has quit. But though it's officially a resignation it's widely being seen as a sign that Apple CEO Steve Jobs was no longer happy having someone who he now sees as a rival having a place within the Apple nest.

The major music labels are planning a new digital album format that will debut with a tablet-like personal computer from Apple Inc in September, people familiar with the plans said yesterday.

Apple, the closest thing the tech industry has to a luxury brand, said that its profit jumped 15 per cent in the most recent quarter despite the recession.

Sony will launch a tiny new laptop starting in August, the company's belated entry into the growing but cutthroat "netbook" PC market.

Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs is back at work following a near 6-month medical leave, although he will work at least initially from home for a few days a week, the company said on Monday.

A new hotline to God

Good news for Cistercian monks from internet companies Telecomms Facilities and ntl:Telewest – at least those who are based in Caldey Abbey on Caldey Island.

Ailing Apple CEO Steve Jobs was too weak to attend a meeting on Tuesday, according to his lawyer.

Tougher times bring out the pioneer in people

Apple has refreshed its line of Mac desktop computers, adding stronger capabilities and nudging some prices lower as consumer spending feels the pinch of the recession.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs still expects to return from his medical leave at the end of June, according to an Apple director who responded to an investor at the company's annual shareholder meeting.

It was a utopian vision: an encyclopedia for the people, by the people. But eight years on, Wikipedia is plagued by endless hoaxes, and lurches from one cash crisis to another. Will it become a footnote in the history of the web? Stephen Foley reports