Building permits issued by Fairfax County (Virg.) confirm that Apple will open a retail store at the Reston Town Center, in the very upscale suburb northwest of Washington (DC), and about five miles from Dulles Airport. The permit to demolish the existing storefront and put up temporary barricades value the work at $10,000, and was issued February 4, 2009. The 6,290 square-foot space occupies a conspicuous corner location at the outdoor mall, which is set among towering office buildings and parking structures. Unincorporated Reston is among the country’s most affluent, and in fact is among the top 10 communities for average household income where an Apple store is located (Manhattan Village, Calif. is #1). The store could open by the Fall…

The Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating whether Apple committed securities fraud by failing to inform the public about CEO Steve Jobs’s health. This investigation exemplifies how the agency has run amok.

Mr. Jobs has been synonymous with Apple since he revived the struggling company in 1997. A technical, design and marketing genius, Mr. Jobs and his team performed one of the most fabled turnarounds in corporate history. To the horror of his cohorts and Apple’s investors, Mr. Jobs was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2004. Despite heavy odds, his surgery appeared successful, and he returned to his post after just two months of recovery.

Over the next two years, however, rumors spread as his weight fluctuated. In June 2008, when a gaunt Mr. Jobs debuted the iPhone 3G, concerns about his health competed for headlines with the latest Apple gadget…

Vitrue has announced the inaugural ranking of the top social brands for 2008, The Vitrue 100. The list is a provocative mix of blue chip brands that are commanding attention and engagement within social communities online.

Vitrue has applied its technology and data capturing capabilities to measure what is being most talked about on the social web. Each day, Vitrue analyzes online conversations on a variety of social networking, blogging, micro-blogging, photo and video sharing sites. In turn, brands earn a composite score that enables Vitrue to rank terms.

iPhone reigns as the #1 most social brand, outscoring its innovator and parent, Apple, which ranks #3. Overall, Apple dominates by also securing iPod at #7 and the Mac at #16…

Best Quarterly Revenue and Earnings in Apple History

iPod Sales Set New Record

CUPERTINO, California-January 21, 2009-Apple® today announced financial results for its fiscal 2009 first quarter ended December 27, 2008. The Company posted record revenue of $10.17 billion and record net quarterly profit of $1.61 billion, or $1.78 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $9.6 billion and net quarterly profit of $1.58 billion, or $1.76 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 34.7 percent, equal to the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 46 percent of the quarter’s revenue.

In accordance with the subscription accounting treatment required by GAAP, the Company recognizes revenue and cost of goods sold for iPhoneâ„¢ and Apple TV® over their economic lives. Adjusting GAAP sales and product costs to eliminate the impact of subscription accounting, the corresponding non-GAAP measures* for the quarter are $11.8 billion of “Adjusted Sales” and $2.3 billion of “Adjusted Net Income.”…