Apple

Like most investing, you're not protected from market meltdown, and there's always the risk of missing out on a star.

Every time Apple rolls out a new iPad model, potential buyers find themselves with more options to ponder. Before you head off to the Apple circus, let's go over the pros and cons of each model on offer so you can figure out exactly which one is best for you.

An independent group, the Fair Labor Association, has started auditing Apple's Chinese supplier Foxconn after a request by Apple. The technology company last month disclosed a list of its suppliers for the iPhone, iPad and other popular gadgets for the first time amid growing criticism over labor and environmental practices, especially in China.

You know things are going from bad to worse for BlackBerry farmer Research In Motion when some of the stodgiest companies on the planet start trading in their BlackBerry smartphones for shiny new iPhones. The most recent defector from RIM: Halliburton, the fuddy-duddy oil-field services giant that critics associate with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster, Dick Cheney, and no-bid contracts in Iraq.

With patent infringement accusations going every which way in recent months, we're certainly familiar with Apple/Samsung banter. Now Apple has thrown yet another punch at the Korean smartphone maker, targeting its Galaxy S II, Galaxy S Plus and eight other handsets.

Microsoft Kinect -- the camera-based motion controller for the Xbox 360 -- is coming to a computer near you next month. How will an accessory that seems more suited to video games fit with the way you use your PC? Much better than you might guess.

The unthinkable is happening at Apple (AAPL). The class act of Cupertino may have priced its iPad out of the market this holiday season. Goldman Sachs analyst Bill Shope is advising clients to keep an eye on iPad sales this quarter, fearing that the company is facing some near-term demand...

If you're fed up with escalating cable bills, fuzzy satellite TV reception, and unresponsive customer service, Google is starting to think inside the box: The world's leading search engine may be ready to launch a broadband television service as early as next year.

These consumer brands were all dominant players at some time in the past 50 years, then lost their place almost completely. They later were revived and are now profitable and healthy again. Some, like Apple and Marvel, in fact, are the leaders in their industries.

Two of the men most responsible for making Target a cool, hip shopping option will soon be leading J.C. Penney's, which means bold changes could be coming for the middle-of-the-road department store chain. Can Ron Johnson and Michael Francis help it shake its stodgy image?