cooking

CUPERTINO, Calif.--Apple this morning, at the start of its annual shareholders meeting, announced that the company is adopting a new policy requiring its directors to win a majority vote before being elected to the board.

The announcement preempted a related shareholder motion that had been proposed for the meeting.

Apple General Counsel Bruce Sewell said the board has gone against this policy for years due to the complexity it adds, but that shareholders over the past few years have been overwhelmingly for it.

"This is Apple and we don't let complexity get in the way," Sewell … Read more

Ultrabook makers trying to copy the look and feel of the MacBook Air could be headed for some patent trouble.

Among a lengthy list of patents awarded to Apple this week is one dubbed D654,072, which covers "the ornamental design for an electronic device, as shown and described."

Though the phrase "MacBook Air" is nowhere to be found, the drawings accompanying the patent show a thin laptop with a tapered edge, clearly matching the design of Apple's popular "ultrabook."

Blogging site Patently Apple points to the new patent as the sixth one for the MacBook Air … Read more

HTC plays with streaming music, psychiatrists study Internet addiction, and MySpace beats on with the MySpace Music Player.

Links from Wednesday's episode of Loaded:

Apple's CEO Tim Cook took to the stage earlier today, but it wasn't to announce a new tablet.

Instead, Cook was making a rather rare public appearance as part of a keynote interview at the Goldman Sachs' annual Technology and Internet Conference in San Francisco to discuss everything from worker safety to what the company plans to do with its growing pile of cash and liquid assets.

Cook spent the first part of the interview, led by Goldman Sachs analyst Bill Shope, detailing the company's efforts to improve the conditions at its suppliers and manufacturers. It was … Read more

"The way we always view cannibalization is that we'd prefer to do it than have someone else do it."

Apple CEO Tim Cook held a fireside chat earlier today at Goldman Sachs and most of the headlines took note of his comments about working conditions at Apple's overseas factories. But the above observation, which Cook made almost in passing, goes to the core--no pun intended--of Apple's ongoing success.

The context here was that Apple is perfectly sanguine about the cannibalization of the Mac--so long as Apple is the one doing the cannibalizing. If ever some … Read more

More than 100 million people are now signed up to Apple's iCloud service, the company's CEO said today.

Speaking at the Goldman Sachs annual Technology and Internet Conference in San Francisco this afternoon, Apple CEO Tim Cook once again described the service as part of the company's strategy for the next decade, adding that more than a 100 million people were using it.

"If you take iCloud and dial back 10 to 12 years, Steve (Jobs) announced a strategy for Apple to position the Mac or PC as the hub of your life ... The idea was … Read more

Apple and Foxconn have both been on the hot seat over reports of the supplier's poor factory conditions. But a CNN interview with one of the factory workers brings a personal story to the controversy.

Working at a Foxconn factory in southwestern China, an 18-year-old student named Miss Chen (her name has been changed to protect her identity) told CNN about the conditions she faces each day.

The young girl was initially excited about an opportunity to work for one month at Foxconn, her head filled with visions of nice benefits and little overtime. But despite what she was … Read more

Apple seems to have no desire to sell cheaper smartphones, according to a report from Citigroup technology analyst Richard Gardner.

Meeting with Apple CEO Tim Cook and Chief Financial Officer Peter Oppenheimer yesterday, Citigroup analysts discussed a variety of topics with the two executives, notably the smartphone market.

Asked about the sustainability of Apple's average selling prices and margins for the iPhone, Oppenheimer suggested that the company will keep focusing on producing "great products," believing that customers are willing to pay more for them.

"We did not get the impression that Apple feels a burning need … Read more

Apple CEO Tim Cook might just be taking some tips from Bill Gates--last week he announced he donated $100 million to charity, according to The Verge.

Cook made his announcement during an internal town hall meeting celebrating Apple's successful fourth quarter.

According to The Verge, Cook said $50 million had been donated to Stanford's hospitals, with $25 million for a new main building and $25 million for a new children's hospital. Another $50 million has been donated to Product RED, which is a charity that combats diseases such as AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria.

Since becoming Apple … Read more