iPad

BRUSSELS — The European Union’s antitrust watchdog is probing whether Apple helped five major publishing houses illegally raise prices for e-books when it launched its iPad tablet and iBookstore in 2010.

HACKENSACK, N.J. -- It has become nearly as ubiquitous in a locker as a bat or glove, nearly every player in every Major League clubhouse has an iPad. But while some may use it to catch the latest episode of "Breaking Bad" or shop for fishing gear for the offseason, there are a number of players using it for work -- and still working on it now.

As the new school year approaches, the question I get asked most often is, "Should I buy a laptop or a tablet?" Apple's Steve Jobs has asserted that we are living in a "post-PC world". Is it really possible to replace a laptop with the smaller and, many would say, cooler iPad?

LOS ANGELES -- The Apple iPad 2 has been selling out in stores across the United States since its launch Friday, and the scarcity of the device will probably continue as Japan continues to recover from the earthquake and tsunami that struck the nation March 11 and as it tries to rein in an escalating nuclear crisis.

Apple pushed the delivery time for those ordering the iPad 2 online to four to five weeks Thursday, the same day that the research firm IHS iSuppli issued a report that said five key components of the tablet made in Japan will be in short supply because of factory shutdowns.

"The aftermath of the Japanese earthquake may cause logistical disruptions and supply shortages in Apple Inc.'s iPad 2, which employs several components manufactured in the disaster-stricken country -- including a hard-to-replace electronic compass, the battery and possibly the advanced technology glass in the display," IHS iSuppli said in a statement.

Jacob Hess was all smiles, talking about a book he read on his new iPad.

HACKENSACK, N.J. -- A pair of Internet "trolls," accused of hacking into AT&T computer servers last year and stealing the e-mail addresses of about 120,000 Apple iPad users, treated the security breach as a game and bragged about it to enhance their notoriety, authorities said Tuesday.