Macs

Analysts: Apple set to report record Mac sales in Q3

Estimates range from 3.8 to 4.6 million. The consensus: 4.2 million, an all-time high

The Mac was hot seller last Christmas. But it was even hotter in the June quarter, according to most of the 43 analysts we polled in advance of our quarterly earnings smackdown.

Thirty of them are calling for Apple (AAPL) to set an all-time record for computers sold when it releases its earnings for fiscal Q3 next Tuesday.

Even MORE

Apple Finance Board calls for 90% earnings growth in Q3

The largest collection of amateur analysts sees iPhone sales up 110%, iPads up 155%

Apple (AAPL) will report its earnings for the June quarter on July 19, two weeks from today. The current consensus among Wall Street analysts, according to Thomson Financial, is that the company earned $5.69 per share on sales of $24.67 billion, up 62.1% and 57.2%, respectively.

Impressive as those growth rates might sound, they're anemic compared with what MORE

Apple's WWDC 2011 developer sessions now available online

Free for those who couldn't make it to San Francisco or didn't sign up before they sold out

The 5,200 developers who rushed to register before the $1,599 tickets sold out, flew to San Francisco to be there in person, and stood in lines that snaked around three city blocks say that the conversations that took place in the hallways between sessions were half the reason to attend the Apple (AAPL) MORE

Hard freezes in new MacBook Pros

Reports of overheating under heavy loads are piling up in Apple's discussion forums

"The fans revved and suddenly I could use nothing but the cursor. Had to hold down the power switch to kill all and then re-power & startup. I wasn't doing anything unusual, but I had 7 apps open and was amid an auto-backup to TimeMachine."

So begins the first message in MacBook Pro 2011 MORE

Apple Q1 2011 earnings preview

Fortune's final poll of Apple analysts -- professional and amateur

We'll find out whose estimates were closest to the mark when Apple (AAPL) releases its earnings for the first fiscal quarter of 2011 shortly after the markets close. A conference call with analysts is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. EST (2 p.m. PST). The hour-long session will be webcast here.

We'll compare the estimates to the actual results and publish MORE

Google: We don't do Windows

Google is phasing out its use of Microsoft's Windows on desktops, citing security concerns stemming from the recent Chinese hacking incident

It must be nice to be a Google employee.  You get to work with the smartest engineers out there.  You get gourmet cafeteria food and all kinds of amenities.  But best of all, you aren't given some generic, locked-down PC that you aren't familiar with.  You get to pick what platform you MORE

Apple's earnings: The Street's big miss

The professional analysts were bested -- once again -- by the bloggers

There's a good reason most Wall Street analysts don't publicly review their predictions after the fact. It's called self-preservation. Who wants to advertise how badly they misunderstood the companies they follow?

Case in point: Apple (AAPL), and the quarterly report it issued Monday afternoon. Apple management gave ample warning that it wanted to change its accounting procedures under the rules MORE