INTEL

Although specifics of Apple’s (Nasdaq: AAPL) iPad 3 introduction will be announced Wednesday, it’s not too early for investors to devise a strategy to benefit.

A significant but largely unnoticed shift is underway in how big U.S. companies account for pensions on their books. The move to mark-to-market accounting could signal that corporate America is betting on rock-bottom interest rates and continued economic recovery through 2012 and into next year.

Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD), Intel’s smaller rival, said it will sever corporate ties with Abu Dhabi’s GlobalFoundries in a bid to recover independent status as a top chip designer.

Will big companies like IBM or venture capital-backed companies ensure the technology future of the U.S?

Reports said Microsoft will soon be pushing out tablets running on the latest operating system soon. Now the question is - once the Windows 8 tablets are out in the market, how will it affect the current leaders in the tablet space? Or, will it pose a threat any way?

Microsoft Wednesday unveiled the Windows 8 Customer Preview during a side event to the Mobile World Congress at the Hotel Miramar in Barcelona and will reportedly be pushing out tablets running on the latest operating system soon.

Shares of Apple (NYSE: AAPL) spent all of Friday above the $500 billion market capitalization mark as they also set a new record of $545.18.

Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD), the No. 2 maker of microprocessors, said it plans to acquire SeaMicro, a private developer of low-power microservers, for $334 million.

Intel (Nasdaq: INTC), the world’s biggest chipmaker, put $100 million into a venture capital fund intended to make cars smarter.

Tech giant Apple has bypassed $500 billion market cap on February 29, becoming the sixth company in the world to do so. This is another record set by the world’s most valuable company, which has a distinction of releasing products that have grown to set benchmarks in their market segments.

The most significant update to Microsoft's flagship product--the Windows operating system--in years is surrounded by controversy because of a backdoor feature the company included its latest version: Reports of a kill switch that allows Microsoft to deactive or delete apps in Windows 8 has many technologists worried about whether it will tempt hackers to use the feature for malicious purposes, assuming they'll gain access to it.

Shares of Apple (NYSE: AAPL) spent most of Wednesday above the $500 billion market capitalization mark as they also sit a new record of $647.61.

Microsoft Corp opened up an incomplete version of Windows 8 for the public to download and test on Wednesday, looking to rev up excitement for its slick, new-look operating system which it hopes will restore its fading tech supremacy.

The Dow closed above 13,000 for the first time since May 2008 on Tuesday and the S&P 500 also hit a milestone, as buoyant U.S. consumer confidence data and a sharp drop in oil prices nudged the nearly five-month rally forward.

Shares of Apple (NYSE: AAPL) briefly rose Tuesday to push the company’s market capitalization to a record $501 billion. Later, the shares closed at a record $536.41.

Stocks rose modestly on Tuesday as U.S. consumer confidence data and a sharp drop in oil futures prices relieved worries about lackluster spending.

U.S. stocks gained on Tuesday as strong U.S. consumer confidence data outweighed initial disappointment caused by a disappointing report on durable goods orders.

Micron (Nasdaq: MU), the sole U.S. maker of memory chips, and Intel (Nasdaq: INTC), the No. I chipmaker, upgraded their six-year-old partnership for advanced products.

Elpida Memory filed on Monday for bankruptcy protection, the largest ever by a Japanese manufacturer.

Shares of Micron Technology, the only U.S. maker of PC memory chips, soared 9 percent after the collapse of its Japanese rival, Elpida.

The Intel Inside logo on hundreds of millions of personal computers is finally making its way onto a smartphone.