Apple on safari

As Macworld San Francisco draws to a close, Apple's threatened pullout raises questions about the future of the East Coast installment of the expo.

The HomePod wireless stereo lets music stored on a Mac in the den be played on a home stereo in the living room.

Apple joins a growing band of companies giving the cold shoulder to 802.11a, marking another setback to the wireless standard's bid to replace 802.11b.

Apple's Safari offers little challenge to Microsoft's browser dominance, but the Mac maker could benefit enormously if it can wean itself from IE.

CEO Steve Jobs unveils a new Web browser and says software innovation has placed his company at the forefront of digital entertainment in the home.

On the second birthday of the high-end Titanium laptop, the company releases a model with a 17-inch display.

The financial firm cites a "skimpy" new-product pipeline and says the company's Power Macs and other products are "becoming stale or remain too expensive."

update The Mac maker is expected to unveil a new portable product aimed at bolstering the company's strategy to make itself into a major player in home entertainment.

Apple releases the final version of its iSync application, in what could be seen as an attempt to trump new synchronization software coming from Microsoft.

In 2002, the company took chances with an all-in-one computer design, brought its iPod to Windows and unleashed a new version of Mac OS X. But it wasn't immune to the overall PC malaise.

The show's producer, IDG World Expo Japan, decides to scratch the 2003 show. In an e-mail, parent company IDG blames a lack of interest from exhibitors.

update A plan to move the East Coast installment of Macworld Expo back to Boston runs into resistance from Apple, which says it won't be taking part.