Toshiba

Apple floats through the channel

The company stands out in a Morgan Stanley survey of the PC distribution channel

It's not hard to spot the outlier in the chart above, taken from Morgan Stanley's quarterly survey, released Thursday, of the PC distribution channel -- the chain of intermediary companies whose job it is to carry finished product from the manufacturer to the customer.

As far as the distributors and retailers are concerned, there's Apple (AAPL), which is MORE

Is the iPad driving down chip prices?

Samsung warns of a memory glut from weakening PC sales as consumers turn to tablets

File this under unintended consequences.

On Tuesday, according to Reuters, the world's largest manufacturer of memory chips warned that DRAM prices may fall in the next two quarters due to weakening demand for notebook and desktop computers.

"If the PC market continues to slow, we may see a kind of oversupply in Q4 or Q1," Kwon Oh-hyun, head MORE

Tough slogging for iPad knockoffs

Many will try, few will survive, says an Asian manufacturer working on several of them

Two new tablet computers based on Google's (GOOG) Android operating system -- one from Samsung, the other by Toshiba -- were introduced at a trade show in Berlin this week, part of a wave of knockoff designs inspired by Apple's (AAPL) iPad.

Many of them will disappear within a year, Compal Electronics president Ray Chen told investors MORE

How the PC market grew 22.7%

The fastest year-to-year growth since iSuppli starting tracking computer shipments in 2003

The charts say it all. Three Asian suppliers -- Acer, Lenovo and ASUS (from a small base) -- led the field. Apple (AAPL) and Toshiba were close behind. Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) and Dell (DELL) grew more slowly.

In terms of market share, HP is still No. 1, but Acer is gaining fast, having passed Dell to reach the No. 2 spot. MORE

Nukes in my backyard

They're lean, clean, power-generating machines. But would a town really bury a mini nuclear reactor under its streets?

By Brian Dumaine, assistant managing editor

Long left for dead, the U.S. nuclear power industry appears poised for a comeback.

President Barack Obama earlier this year announced an $8.3 billion loan guarantee to help the Georgia utility Southern Co. build two large reactors, and he wants to triple the amount of federal loan guarantees for MORE

As flash recovers, fears of another bubble

Flash memory might rule the roost when it comes to gadget storage – all the sleekest devices from smartphones to the upcoming iPad use it – but it can be tough to make a profit selling the stuff.

No one knows that better than Eli Harari. As founder and CEO of flash memory maker SanDisk (SNDK), he has been through a roller-coaster year.

Late 2008 was the worst of times. In a MORE

Macs top Amazon's 'Most Gifted' list

Some computer wishes seem to have come true this holiday season

Last time we looked -- on the eve of Cyber Monday -- there was a conspicuous discrepancy in Amazon's (AMZN) computer department between the "Most Wished For" and "Most Gifted" machines. Customers may have been hoping for Apples (AAPL), but it looked like they were getting Toshibas, Acers and Hewlett Packards (HPQ) instead.

One month later, on Christmas morning, that discrepancy MORE

Macs are Amazon's 'Most Wished For'

But some people may not be getting the computers they hoped for this holiday season

On the eve of Cyber Monday, Apple (AAPL) Macs held the top three spots on Amazon's (AMZN) "Most Wished For" laptop list, as well as the top four spots on the desktop computer wish list.

But wishes are not horses -- or premium-priced Macs -- and judging from Amazon's "Most Gifted" lists, some of those Christmas wishes MORE

The best new gadgets for business

Our correspondent goes to a geekfest and reports back on five new tools you need now.

I was in gadgetry heaven.

The Pepcom Holiday Spectacular in New York Thursday night was buzzing -- and it wasn't just the sensation of mobile devices on vibrate mode.

With 80 companies -- from Hewlett-Packard (HPQ)  to Samsung -- showing off their goods for the holiday season, the room pulsated with enthusiasm, competitiveness and innovation. It was MORE

MacBook back on top at Amazon

In a sign that should bode well for Apple's (AAPL) earnings in its third fiscal quarter -- which ended Saturday -- the MacBook has clawed its way back to the top of Amazon's (AMZN) bestseller lists.

The Mac, which once led the pack in the online retailer's Computers & PC Hardware Bestsellers category despite its $1,000 to $2,000 sticker prices, had fallen behind the blistering sales pace set by netbooks like MORE