Steve Jobs' decade-long efforts to tear down an aging 17,250-square-foot mansion in Woodside, California, may be nearing an end, with a judge granting the Apple co-founder approval to demolish the home.

Despite the fact that it will be two years old this summer and now has more than 150,000 applications, Apple's App Store for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad remains a place where startups and independent software creators have a fair shot at success.

Enthusiasts tracking presales of the iPad believe Apple sold 120,000 units on its first day of availability, though excitement is estimated to have dropped considerably on days two and three.

Apple said this week that it will offer a Battery Replacement Service for its new iPad tablet that is similar to the one offered for iPhones and iPods, only this time the company plans to replace the entire device rather than swap out its depleted battery.

Although it's no secret that members of Microsoft's leadership frown upon employees who choose an Apple iPhone over one running the company's own Windows Mobile operating system, approximately 1 in 10 still veer towards the forbidden fruit and sometimes go to great lengths to conceal them on the job.

The introduction of the iPad Friday morning sold an estimated 50,000 units in two hours, and also bumped Apple's "hobby," the Apple TV, from the front page of its online store.

Apple revealed a minor tweak to the iPad hardware when preorders began Friday morning, with a button previously designated for audio muting changed to a "screen rotation lock."

Apple on Friday began accepting preorders for its multimedia iPad -- both the Wi-Fi and 3G models -- with reservations limited to two per customer and free hardware delivery on the April 3 launch date.

Apple Thursday evening released a new update to Safari for Mac and Windows, with the latest browser version improving its performance, stability and security.

Music legends Pink Floyd won a lawsuit with their label EMI Thursday, with the band successfully defending its right to block the sale of individual songs on digital download services like iTunes.

Apple has been making last-minute changes to its App Store and iBookstore leading up to the April 3 launch of the iPad, according to a new report.

Apple this summer will go a long way towards silencing critics and catering to one of the most prevalent demands of its iPhone user base, when it introduces a multitasking solution through the handset's 4.0 software update that will finally allow several third party apps to run concurrently and in the background.

Intel this week previewed its forthcoming 32nm Core i7-980X processor, a six-core CPU codenamed "Gulftown," and a new rumor has suggested the chip could find its way into Apple's Mac Pro line as early as next Tuesday.

Similar to how Apple's iPod touch came from the development of the iPhone, Microsoft reportedly plans to base the follow-up to its Zune HD media player on the Windows Phone 7 Series mobile operating system.

As HP attempts to push its own Flash-playing slate PC over the Apple iPad, one ARM executive said he expects more than 50 tablet-style devices to be introduced this year alone.

Former chief executive of Sun Jonathan Schwartz has accused Steve Jobs of threatening patent action against his company in 2003, related to desktop OS technologies, in a long blog post that highlights a series of tech patent squabbles.

Apple's orders to its Taiwanese manufacturing facilities call for the production of roughly 5 million iPads before the heart of summer rolls around, according to a new report which also praises the company for its iPhone, notebook and desktop secular growth trends.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation took a critical stance against Apple on Tuesday, when the digital rights advocacy group posted in its entirety the confidential license agreement to which all iPhone, iPad and iPod touch developers must agree.

FileMaker Pro 11, the latest version of the Mac database software, was officially released Tuesday, packing in improved chart visuals, "on the fly" reporting, a new Quick Find capability, and a number of productivity tools that aim to make database creation simpler and quicker.

Microsoft chief Steve Ballmer recently had positive words about Apple's success with the iPhone and its App Store, adding fuel to rumors of a potential alignment between Apple and Microsoft to bring Bing search to the iPhone.