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So, why does the world obsess about the newest MacBook Pro and not competing laptops from Hewlett-Packard or Dell?

Let's just say that Apple has an innate sense about good design.

And you can bet Microsoft has uttered this sentiment behind closed doors more than a few times -- thus, the Microsoft-designed Surface tablet announcement this week.

But let's focus on the Retina MacBook Pro for now. That's a design that any PC maker could have feasibly done.

Big 15-inch class laptops fall right into the wheel house of the PC guys. Dell did the XPS 15z. … Read more

Toshiba used to have just one ultrabook line: the Portege Z835. Toshiba's added to its ultrabooks arsenal with a new pair of Satellite models: one's an affordable mainstream $749 model, the other's a wide-screen 14-incher that feels like it escaped the concept lab. And as for that Portege, it's been upgraded to Ivy Bridge processors and renamed the Portege Z935. We took a look at all of Toshiba's latest ultrabooks up close; here are our impressions and details on the ultrabook trio.

All three of Toshiba's new ultrabooks sail under $1,000: the Satellite … Read more

Like every year, PC gaming will likely get lost amid the retail and console-focused hullabaloo out of Los Angeles next week. Nintendo will tout its crazy new console/handheld hybrid; Microsoft has the Xbox-as-entertainment center and a new Halo and Gears of War to flog; and Sony will be talking about, you know, Sony stuff (and maybe the acquisition of a cloud gaming service).

Huge, PC-specific game announcements rarely happen at E3, but here are some of the current PC-specific topics bubbling under the surface.

Minecraft on the Xbox 360Mojang Software's Minecraft debuted on Xbox Live on May 9 … Read more

As expected, Lenovo and Intel jointly announced the K800 smartphone today in China -- the second phone powered by Intel silicon to hit the market.

In addition to the 1.6GHz Atom processor, the K800 boasts a 4.5-inch 720x1,280 IPS display, 1.3MP/8MP front-rear cameras, Intel wireless display technology for steaming video to a compatible HDTV, and an Android 2.3.7-based operating system.

The K800 will run on China Unicom's network. The phone supports HSPA+.

Lenovo follows the first Intel phone, the Lava Xolo 900 launched in India last month.

Smartphones running on Intel processors … Read more

Lenovo is expected to announce its K800 smartphone next week in China, according to a source familiar with Lenovo's plans -- the second phone powered by Intel silicon.

In addition to the 1.6GHz Atom processor, the K800 boasts a 4.5-inch 720x1280 IPS display, 1.3MP/8MP front-rear cameras, Intel wireless display technology for steaming video to a compatible HDTV, and an Android 2.3.7-based operating system.

Other features include HDMI-out, near-field communication (NFC), and Intel wireless display technology for steaming video to a compatible HDTV.

Lenovo's phone will run on China Unicom's network. The … Read more

Another day, another Apple victory.

At $183 billion, Apple is the world's most valuable brand, according to Millward Brown Optimor's annual BrandZ study. Apple was last year's most valuable brand, as well, though the company's value jumped 19 percent over last year's $153.3 billion tally.

Millward Brown Optimor's findings, which were released today, are based on a company's financial data, market intelligence, and consumer opinions related to brand equity.

Aside from Apple, technology firms fared quite well in the BrandZ study, with IBM taking the second spot with $116 billion in value. … Read more

Intel has a message for investors and the rest of the tech industry: We're dead serious about smartphone chips now. (Finally, wags might add.)

At its annual investor day on Thursday, Intel reiterated that its first dual-core smartphone processor, the "Medfield" Z2580, is coming later this year and will be offered with Intel-branded 4G LTE silicon.

And to drive home its commitment to phones, CEO Paul Otellini said that phone chip development will move ahead at "twice the rate of Moore's Law." Put another way, chip development that would ordinarily take six years will … Read more

If the ultrabook devolves into a hodgepodge of pseudo-thin, conventional designs, the chances of success are not good.

This may -- or may not -- be on the verge of happening with designs like the Acer Aspire Timeline Ultra M3 and even the Hewlett-Packard Envy 14 Spectre.

Though it's been said before, it's worth repeating: a kind-of-thin, kind-of-light laptop ain't an ultrabook.

I've handled the Acer M3, which is being marketed as an ultrabook. Sorry, no way that's an ultrabook. And the HP Spectre? That's a wonderful design in many respects (Gorilla glass screen … Read more

The first phone based on Intel silicon keeps pace with rival devices using chips from longstanding mobile standard bearer ARM, a report said Wednesday.

"For Intel, answering the looming ARM threat is obviously hugely important for the future," said review site Anandtech.

"So how did Intel's first attempt fare? In short, reasonably well," the site's Brian Klug wrote.

For the first time, a commercial smartphone is packing Intel silicon, the Atom 'Medfield" Z2460. India-based Lava announced the Xolo X900 this week.

Benchmarks showed the X900 keeping up with market-leading Android phones like the … Read more