When Apple unveiled the touch-screen device Jan. 27, the company said the first iPads would reach the market in “late March” worldwide, not just in the U.S. Now international releases are planned for later in April.
Investors shrugged off the delay and instead seemed reassured that the tablet wouldnt slip even later. On a day with a broader stock market rally, Apple shares hit a record high of $219.70 and closed up $8.24, or 3.9 percent, to their highest settling price of $218.95.
The company did not specify Friday why the tablet is not coming out until April, and Apple spokeswoman Natalie [...]

The company will initially sell models that connect to the Internet using Wi-Fi networks, starting at $499. Versions that can also tap mobile-phone networks will be available in late April, Apple said today. When Apple introduced the iPad in January, the company said it would be available in March.
Apple Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs has pitched the iPad as a mobile device that falls between smartphones and laptop computers. With a 9.7-inch (25-centimeter) touch screen, it serves up Web pages, e-mail, music, videos, games, electronic books [...]

The judge signed an order Wednesday staying litigation in a lawsuit in which Nokia claims that Apple is infringing on seven Nokia patents in products ranging from the iPhone to computers.
The order also covers counterclaims in which Apple alleges that Nokia has infringed on nine Apple patents that are the subject of an ITC complaint by Apple.
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The findings were outlined in a company report on audits of 102 supplier facilities conducted in 2009. That was a year in which questions about the practices of one of Apples suppliers came into focus after the suicide of a Chinese worker who held a sensitive job handling iPhones.
Along with many other technology companies, Apple, based in Cupertino, Calif., relies heavily on foreign contractors to build its products. Monitoring their labor practices be difficult, and Apple has caught heat in the past on this issue.
The company said in its latest report that “by making social responsibility a fundamental part of [...]

“The suppliers are breaking the law,” said Debby Chan, project officer at Students and Scholars Against Corporate Misbehavior in Hong Kong. “Apple should disclose its suppliers list to NGOs to allow more effective monitoring of the situation,” said Chan, referring to non-government organizations.
Cupertino, California-based Apple said in its 2010 “Supplier Responsibility” report that three of its partners hired 15-year-old employees in countries that only allow people to start work at 16. The company, which visited sites in countries including China, Taiwan and Thailand in its annual [...]

At the companys annual meeting, one shareholder asked Jobs whether the company would use some of its hoard to pay a dividend. Jobs didnt seem keen on the idea, saying the cash gives Apple “tremendous security and flexibility.”
If Apple decides to acquire another company, it can do so by writing a check instead of borrowing money, he said.
“Who knows whats around the next corner?” he said.
Apple executives also said they have ambitious plans to expand in China: They expect to open as many as 25 retail stores in the country in the next two years. Apples first store in China [...]

Jung, the newest director and only woman serving on the seven-member board, quietly took over as co-lead in December. She succeeds former Apple executive Bill Campbell, one of the companys longest-serving board members and a mentor to CEO Steve Jobs. Jobs is expected to appear at the meeting.
The handoff to Jung follows complaints by corporate- governance experts that Jobs had too much sway over a group of hand-picked directors. That may have affected the limited disclosures about Jobss health last year, when he had a liver [...]

Instead of buying an off-the-shelf part, Jobs had Apples engineers design the A4 chip, giving them influence over its cost and functions, said Will Strauss, an analyst at Forward Concepts Co., a researcher in Tempe, Arizona.
“He wants his own ecosystem and doesnt want to be beholden to anyone,” Strauss said in an interview. “Its both maximizing his margins and maximizing his control.”
Apples decision to design its own part is a blow to [...]

The slim, 1.5-pound “tablet” computer unveiled last week will be linked to Apple Inc.s first e-book store when it goes on sale in a few months. The books, however, will not be compatible with Amazon.com Inc.s Kindle or with the major alternative e-book system.
Apples creation of a third choice is likely to further frustrate and confuse consumers if they accumulate e-books for one device, then try to go back to read them later on a different one. The effect could be akin to having to buy a new set of CDs every time you get a new stereo system. It [...]

Several companies offering Voice over Internet Protocol - or VoIP - services said this week that Apple now allows their applications to work on the iPhone.
VoIP calling has been available on the iPhone, but only over Wi-Fi connections, which dont have the range of 3G cellular networks.
Apple on Thursday confirmed the change and said it applies to applications for the iPhone and the new iPad tablet device unveiled this week, some of which will come with 3G capabilities.
Apples earlier decision to block a Google Inc. calling application triggered an inquiry by the Federal Communications [...]