Legal costs take $2.5bn bite from Microsoft's profits

Microsoft's third quarter profits for its financial year were hit hard by legal costs which amounted to a thumping $2.53bn. The legal costs were the result of the recent settlement with Sun Microsystems of $2bn and the fine imposed by the European Union. ...more

iPod recycling programme announced for the US

Apple has announced a free iPod recycling programme in the US. Unwanted iPods can be returned to any of the company's 100 retail stores for 'environmentally friendly disposal', in return for a 10 per cent discount on a new iPod if bought that day. The iPods are processed in the US and no hazardous material is shipped overseas. ...more

Tablet PCs to hit their stride in 2005

Tablet PCs will have to wait until 2005 before they hit their stride, according to analysts. Industry analysts In-Stat/MDR reckon the cast of Microsoft and its hardware partners, such as Acer and HP, have achieved only partial success with the Tablet PC show, since its launch in October 2002. The firm reckons that as the prices of the pen-based computing devices breaks down through the $2,000 barrier, they will broaden their appeal to a much wider audience. ...more

Telewest promises 10Mbps broadband trials

Cable provider Telewest has revealed that it plans to trial a 10Mbps broadband service later this year. It is also planning to upgrade all its 256Kbps users to 512Kbps for the same ?17.99 monthly fee, following the upgrading of all its other customers in November 2004. ...more

Arise, Sir Bill

It has been announced that the Queen is to award a knighthood to the founder and now chief software architect of Microsoft, one Bill Gates. To be precise, as a foreign national, he will receive an honorary knighthood and according to etiquette should not addressed as 'Sir'. As an American, he follows in the footsteps of other honorary knights such as George Bush senior and Steven Spielberg. ...more