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Should Apple decide to increase the display size of the next version of its bestselling iPhone, it could present developers with new sets of both challenges and opportunities. Speculation about Apple boosting the screen found on the next edition of its smartphone isn't new, but it was renewed this week with The Wall Street Journal predicting the new iPhone would have a display of at least four inches. Reuters, with a little more precision, pegged it at 4.6 inches.

There's always a danger of reading analysis by others that matches your own personal experience and then simply using it to build up the foundation of what you know and believe. But hey, danger can spike adrenaline, and I like adrenaline, so check this out: Information technology research firm Gartner released a report about its worldwide tablet sales projections for 2012. While Gartner expects sales to rocket up 98 percent from 60 million units to 118.9 units, it still expects the Apple iPad to overshadow all other tablets sales.

With the expected unveiling of new MacBook Pros just weeks away, rumor mongers have begun to solidify their predictions about the new notebooks. Most Apple prognosticators seem to agree that the MacBook Pros will be thinner, run Intel's new Ivy Bridge chip, and sport an eye-popping Retina Display. Of course, the public won't know for sure what the new MacBook Pros will look like until Apple wants it to know -- which could be as soon as the company's Worldwide Developers Conference June 11 in San Francisco.

Apple computer users might soon have a thinner, lighter version of the MacBook, according to numerous reports. The new design will apparently still bear the "MacBook Pro" name but will more closely resemble an Ultrabook -- thin, light and affordable PC laptops. It will supposedly feature a high-definition screen similar to the ones found on iPhones and iPads. Perhaps most importantly, the new product wouldn't compromise battery life or memory for the sleeker design.

Facebook's march toward its IPO has put a harsh spotlight on the social network's shortcomings, and one of the primary worries among prospective investors is that Facebook doesn't have very sharp mobile chops. There are a million things it could be doing in mobile to draw in more revenue, they say, but it's still an area in which the network moves painfully slowly. Maybe that's exactly why I often prefer to use Facebook through its mobile iOS app. Facebook on iOS is uncluttered and streamlined, it doesn't change often, and if there are ads anywhere on it, I don't notice them.

I very much prefer to write reviews only of apps and products that I appreciate, that I find useful, interesting, or just plain awesome. This is not one of those reviews. And the app? It's not one of those apps, either. The makers of some products sometimes try hard to make them appear to be things they really are not. Wrinkle cream comes to mind. Magic? Hardly. Exercise gadgets -- same sort of thing, usually. Sometimes marketing claims will explode full of hyperbole, too.

Terry Gou, chief of Foxconn, has confirmed that Apple has an iTV in the works. The news, which instantly sent the consumer electronics industry into a tizzy, came in an article focused on the company's plans to expand into e-commerce and distribution. Yes, an iTV is coming, according to Gou, who dropped a few details about the product, even though neither development nor manufacturing has begun. The iTV will sport an aluminum construction casing, Gou said. It will also feature Siri and FaceTime video calling.

A Chinese company that claims it owns the rights to the iPad name reportedly refused to settle its claims against Apple for $16 million. The company, Shenzhen Proview Technology, was apparently offered $16 million by representatives of Apple to drop its challenge of Apple's right to use the iPad trademark in China. Shenzhen Proview, which is currently in the Chinese equivalent of bankruptcy, is reportedly looking for $400 million from Apple. Originally, it sought $2 billion from the make of the iPad.

After you get over the worry that kids or grandmothers are going to drop your iPad and then accidentally trod on it or stab it with the leg of a walker, other problems quickly arise: For instance, what sort of iMessage or Reminder is going to pop up from your crass buddy and mortify your grandma? Which email from the friend who won't stop sending the joke emails is going show up in front of a kid? What happens when a friend or family member wants to check out the iPad or listen to music or watch a movie or surf the Web ... and then hours later start poking around?

Forbes released its annual list of the largest corporations in the U.S. this week, and Apple had the biggest increase. It jumped from the 35th spot in 2011 to finish 17th on this year's list, which ranks companies on the basis of revenue. Apple still hasn't climbed into the ranks of Exxon Mobil, Walmart or General Electric when it comes to cash flow, but in the tech world, only HP was ahead of Apple on the list. Apple's recent sales records and steady climb higher on the list of America's biggest money-makers is thanks in part to its branded retail stores.

Apple's Garage Band for Mac is loaded with an array of virtual instruments. The application is capable of imitating brass, strings, winds and percussion, as well as a whole stable of fully synthesized noises with names like "Synchro Nice" and "Future Flute." None of the faux instruments included in the package come particularly close to sounding like the real thing, and some sound downright cheesy when played on their own. But if used correctly, they can add some depth to a musical project -- depending on the project, of course.

As winter finally releases its clammy grip around my house, I'm getting cabin fever something fierce. I've got an eclectic travel schedule, hitting hotels for business then heading off to some dive campground near an outdoor activity ... or planning a backpacking trip, which usually requires a base camp before you head off into the mountains. That's where this app comes in: Camp & RV - Tent Camping to RV Parks and Services.

Speculation about Apple producing a television set that will revolutionize how we watch entertainment at home has been percolating for months, as has the arrival time for the super set. Initially, it was predicted to arrive in time for the 2011 holiday season; then it was going to share the stage with the new iPad in 2012; and when that didn't happen, it was pushed to sometime in 2012 or the first half of 2013. Now, one analyst is predicting the spectral set won't appear before 2014.

I'm often blown away by the pathetically misguided marketing campaigns that clearly out-of-touch executives in large corporations green light ... and then shell out millions of dollars to put into motion. But the "Wake Up" flashmob that tumbled out of a clearly expensive bus in Sydney, Australia, had me scratching my head while simultaneously clutching my belly to ease the pain of laughing so hard. Here's what happened.

Will Apple become a wireless service provider? Absolutely, contends Whitey Bluestein, writer of GigaOm's Apple blog. But that prediction has been met with widespread disagreement as well as some support. In his blog, Bluestein outlined what he believes will be Apple's roadmap for getting into the wireless business. First, it will start selling data packages for the iPad. Then it will move to data and international roaming offerings for the iPhone. Finally, it will start buying bandwidth from carriers and reselling it to its customers.

Apple revealed its latest quarterly earnings statement a week ago, and it was another period of strong sales for the company. That was thanks in part to customers in emerging markets buying iPhones. One report from Deutsche Bank this week said that Apple could sell as many as 25 million iPhones in China this year and could have 35 million iPhones there by 2013. That's not outside the realm of possibility, especially if Apple signs with China Mobile, the country's largest provider, said Michael Stanat, global research executive at SIS International Research.

I've been experiencing a good luck streak lately when it comes to air travel. There's been no lost luggage, no security incidents, only short delays and some pretty easy itineraries. I realize that I've jinxed it all to hell by writing this, but it was great while it lasted. Even when air travel goes smoothly, though, there are sometimes hectic moments during which information must be attained right now if you want to avoid missing your flight and spending the night in a cigarette-smelly motel room.

Apple is employing several legal tax strategies to take its record-setting profit levels even higher. For example, the company's business doesn't just operate out of Cupertino, Calif., where the corporate tax rate is 8.84 percent. Apple has an office in Reno, Nev., where it can manage investments at a zero percent corporate tax rate. The company also takes advantage of lower overseas rates. When customers in Europe, Africa or the Middle East make an iTunes purchase, the sale is reportedly funneled through an Apple subsidiary in Luxembourg.

Samsung's first quarter earnings suggest that it has reached a significant milestone: It could be the world's largest mobile phone manufacturer, topping Apple in market reach. In this case, "suggest" is the operative word. "As you know, Samsung doesn't give their cellphone shipment numbers," said Azita Arvani of the Arvani Group, "and analysts have differing opinions on how many Samsung smartphones were actually shipped." Apple is still be the top smartphone vendor in the global market, according to some analysts, while others proclaim that Samsung has overtaken it.

I've been playing around with Pocket, a not-so-new app which may have undergone one of the smartest name changes in the history of the App Store -- previously Pocket was known as "Read It Later." The app basically lets you snag content that you find online and store it in a handy way for reading or viewing at some point in the future. Of course, the old name was accurate -- perhaps painfully, boringly accurate. And while I immediately knew what it was about and what it did, I somehow kept putting it off until later.

Without Steve Jobs, Apple will fall from greatness, according to Forrester Research CEO George Colony. "Apple's momentum will carry it for 24-48 months," he wrote recently in his blog. "But without the arrival of a new charismatic leader," he continued, "it will move from being a great company to being a good company, with a commensurate step down in revenue growth and product innovation." Colony's case for Apple's decline is founded on an analysis of the structure of organizations by Max Weber, who is to sociology what Jobs was to Apple.

One in five Mac computers is carrying malware that could spread to PCs, according to a new research from security vendor Sophos. The security team ran its Mac antivirus software on 100,000 Mac computers. It found that most of the malware found is directed at Windows PCs, so Macs harboring the infections don't show any symptoms, unless perhaps the Mac is also running Windows. However, those computers can also spread malware to Windows PCs. Sophos also found that one in 36 Macs, or 2.7 percent, were carrying Mac OS X malware.

Despite all the fantastic numbers delivered by Apple when it revealed its latest fiscal quarterly profits this week -- such as an eye-popping 94 percent net profit year-to-year increase -- one question and one rambling answer from Apple CEO Tim Cook made me sit up in my chair. The question: Will Apple create a converged iPad/MacBook with a built-in keyboard? The question came from Tony Sacconaghi, a longtime Apple-watching financial analyst with Sanford C. Bernstein's research division.

Apple once again blasted Wall Street's -- and its own -- predictions on its financial performance for the March quarter of this year. The company announced Tuesday that it raked in $39.2 billion in revenue during the period, which is Apple's second fiscal quarter. That's more than a 58 percent increase over the same period a year ago, when revenues were $24.7 billion. Revenue estimates for the quarter by Wall Street analysts were around $36.67 billion. Apple previously advised revenue would be around $32.5 billion.

Apple announced yet another fiscal quarter that made Wall Street's head spin, sending shares skyward in after-hours trading. Revenue was up 59 percent for Apple, bringing in $39.2 billion compared to the $24.67 billion it reporter a year earlier. The tech giant reported quarterly earnings Tuesday of $12.30 per share, up from $6.40 a share from the same period a year ago. Street expectations were closer to $10.04 per share earnings on $36.8 billion in revenue.