It took a mediator–and a trip to Maui–to break the biggest logjam in landmark settlement talks between Intel (INTC) and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD). Before arriving at the agreement that ended years of acrimony and legal wrangling between the world’s largest makers of computer chips, representatives of each needed to answer one fundamental question: How much money would change hands?

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Now that Google (GOOG) CEO Eric Schmidt has left Apple’s board, the path is clear for the company’s next likely director, Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook, to join. Apple (AAPL) is firing on all cylinders now. But the challenges that will face the company in the next decade–which include managing its larger size, reckoning with Internet-based computing, and growing overseas–will require more fresh blood on the board.

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To say Palm has a lot riding on the Pre smartphone is an understatement. Amid stiff competition from Apple (AAPL) and Research In Motion (RIMM), Palm’s very survival may hinge on the success of the device, expected to reach Sprint Nextel (S) store shelves no later than June 30.

And while it’s hard to predict demand for the Pre, preliminary analysis suggests Palm (PALM) will make a healthy profit from the units it does sell.

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On March 10, Dan Spatz joined hundreds of other people who crammed into a 500-seat auditorium at the Commerce Dept. building in Washington, D.C. The crowd of executives, entrepreneurs, and local officials had gathered for the first public hearing about how the federal government plans to distribute $7.2 billion in grants and loans to improve broadband Internet access in the U.S.

Spatz, a city official from The Dalles, Ore., took the microphone to ask a relatively simple question: How would the government determine which regions in the country are “unserved,” a critical definition because those areas without broadband service are supposed to take priority under the legislation passed by Congress.

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As the battle for the smartphone market heats up, comparisons abound between Research In Motion’s BlackBerry Storm, released in November, and Apple’s iPhone.

For starters, both devices boast a touchscreen, forgoing the buttons found on more conventional phones. But the more important comparison, from the bottom-line perspective, lies in which device carries a fatter margin. And on a cost-per-unit basis, the advantage for the moment appears to belong to Apple (AAPL). A new analysis of the BlackBerry Storm by market research firm iSuppli indicates the cost of components and manufacturing for RIM (RIMM) is slightly less than $203. By comparison, those costs for Apple’s iPhone 3G, the second iteration of the device, are less than $175.

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The first thing that’s coming to so many minds in the wake of Apple’s announcement that CEO Steve Jobs won’t be making his customary keynote address at the Macworld Expo on Jan. 6, is the condition of Jobs’s health. I don’t think his health has anything to do with it. Though I think the speculation that has come to surround his appearance in recent years is a minor factor in the decision.

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Strange as it may sound, Apple (AAPL) may have an iPod problem. The iconic music player cemented the company’s reputation for innovation and fueled its financial success in recent years. But those days appear to be over. Legions of iPod owners see little reason to upgrade, especially with the rocky economy. As a result, some analysts believe this will be the first quarter since the iPod was introduced in 2001 that sales will decline from the year-earlier quarter. “The reality is there’s a limited group of people who want an iPod or any other portable media player,” says analyst Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray. “So the question becomes, what does Apple do about it?”

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From the first time Steve Jobs demonstrated “the pinch”–the two-finger gesture used to zoom in and out of photos and Web pages on the iPhone–some Apple observers assumed it was just a matter of time before a multitouch-enabled screen showed up on the Mac. That hasn’t happened yet. But as of Nov. 19, Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) has beaten Apple to the punch, announcing the first multitouch-enabled notebook PC, the tx2. I can’t help but wonder whether Apple (AAPL) just lost an important race.

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When they’re not hand-wringing over the recent drop in Apple’s share price, Mac enthusiasts have been transfixed lately by the mystery product, code-named “brick,” that’s due for release later this month.
Some bloggers and pundits have suggested it might be a new iteration of Apple TV or an updated Mac Mini. But according to a report on 9to5Mac.com, “brick” refers not to what it is, but how it’s made.

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So Apple called Tuesday, a little annoyed with my portrayal Monday of AT&T’s iPhone pricing. The main difference on plans for the new iPhone versus the old are simple: The data plan is $10 more a month, mainly because the faster connection will mean higher data usage; and text messaging is charged separately.

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