BERLIN -- Parallels released version 8 of its virtualization product today, updating the Windows-on-Mac software to stay up to date with both Microsoft's and Apple's latest operating systems.

The software uses a technology called virtualization that lets a guest operating system, including Windows, Android, or other instances of OS X, run atop an OS X host. That's handy for transitions -- there are lots of new Mac users these days switching from Windows even if Windows still dominates.

There are two big reasons customers pay $80 for the software to do that, said Parallels Product Manager Kurt … Read more

Two decades and four U.S. presidents ago, Apple vs. Microsoft was worth watching. Since then it's been a snooze.

That's about to change.

This fall consumers will be able to choose from the widest-yet assortment of smartphone and tablet devices because Microsoft, a company that has been an also-ran in mobile computing for too long, has picked itself off the mat.

In a Lazarus-like revival, Microsoft is winning acclaim for its latest mobile operating systems for tablets and smartphones. No. 1 Apple is not sweating any of this now as it preps for the presumed iPhone 5 … Read more

When it comes to long, strange trips, trust the signature line from the pen of the late, great Jerry Garcia to explain the volatility in Apple's stock price these last few months.

Shares of Apple touched $674.88 earlier this morning (the company became the most valuable ever yesterday, when it reached more than $622 billion in market capitalization). But they reversed course and by early afternoon the stock was way down. How to explain the about-face? Take your pick: Profit taking most likely, though with the jury about to deliberate the Apple-Samsung patent litigation lawsuit some investors might … Read more

Less than one month ago, shares of Apple plunged after the company's third-quarter earnings "disappointed" the bean counters on Wall Street. Less than a month later, shares of Apple are up more than 12 percent and are again trading at an all-time high. In fact, earlier today, Jefferies & Co. raised its price target from $800 to $900, as Apple's valuation now tops $600 billion.

If you want to understand why, cue up the 1960s' hit by The Happenings, "See You in September."

That's when the iPhone 5, the biggest, worst-kept secret in … Read more

The Apple-Samsung courtroom tussle is just the latest in a long line of legal battles for Apple. The company has an established history of taking competitors to court to protect the look and feel of its products. It's part of Apple's DNA. Steve Jobs always thought of Apple products as unique works of functional art with aesthetic virtues, wrapped in patents, copyrights, and licenses. He wasn't about to let anyone copy the crown jewels -- the user interface and hardware design concepts -- embodied in his creations. 

The Macintosh, introduced in January 1984, was his first … Read more

Signs that Apple is testing new versions of two of its desktop machines may have been spotted in the latest version of the company's recently-released desktop and notebook operating system.

Deep inside the configuration files of Apple's dual-booting, Boot Camp assistant software, AppleInsider today points to a pair of conspicuously unconventional model numbers. That includes two model names that haven't shown up before, the "MP60," which the outlet surmises is the next Mac Pro tower, and the "IM130," a new iMac model. … Read more

For the last week, attorneys for Apple and Samsung have been arguing over rounded corners, icons, bezels, ornamental designs and horizontal lozenge-shaped slots.

After hearing testimony -- first from Apple's witnesses and then from Samsung -- a jury at the U.S District Court in the heart of Silicon Valley will decide whether Samsung's broad array of mobile products infringed on patents and designs associated with the iPad and iPhone. 

Samsung is contending that its devices are not illegally derivative of Apple's products, and that Apple looked to Sony in developing designs for the iPhone. … Read more

Consumers eyeing a Retina MacBook Pro now have a choice of CPU, drive storage size, and other options.

Apple has revamped the order page for both flavors of the new MacBook Pro with a build-to-order configuration. So you can now pick your options based on the features you want and how much money you're willing to spend.

Previously, buyers looking for the less-expensive 2.3GHz model were forced to move up to the pricier 2.6GHz version if they needed a beefier CPU or more hard drive storage, noted Apple blogging site MacRumors.… Read more

Apple's latest operating system, OS X Mountain Lion, has set a sales record.

The company announced today that Mountain Lion was downloaded over 3 million times in its first four days of availability, "making it the most successful OS X release in Apple's history."

Apple launched Mountain Lion last Wednesday, priced at $19.99. The operating system, which is available in the company's Mac App Store, comes with over 200 enhancements, including wide-ranging integration of iOS features, like Notification Center, Apple's Game Center, and iMessage. Facebook integration is making its way to the operating … Read more