SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Dell Inc’s third-quarter profit slid 47 percent, hurt by lower PC sales, weaker demand from large corporations and the shift to mobile computing.

Dell’s consumer PC business is struggling as more and more consumers are using smartphones and tablets to do basic computing, and the company’s corporate customers continue to defer spending due to the uncertain state of the economy.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Dell Inc’s profit fell 47 percent, hurt by lower PC sales and weaker demand from large corporations, but the No. 3 personal computer maker said it expects revenue to grow as much as 5 percent in the current quarter.

Dell shares fell 2.3 percent to $9.36 in after-market trade from its close of $9.56. The shares initially rose following the release of the results.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Mapping software company TomTom has made its vast mapping data available to apps developers, providing an alternative to companies that now use maps from Google Inc and Apple Inc.

Dutch-based TomTom, best-known for its car navigation systems, launched its location-based services platform on Thursday as it looks to compete in a crowded marketplace for Web and mobile maps.

SAN FRANCISCO/NEW YORK (Reuters) – Shares of Apple Inc (AAPL.O: Quote, Profile, Research) slid almost 4 percent on Wednesday to a five-month low as investors grew more uncertain about its ability to fend off unprecedented competition and untangle a snarled iPhone 5 supply chain.

Apple’s slide outpaced the S&P 500′s drop of about 2.4 percent the day after the U.S. election, putting the world’s most valuable technology company into bearish territory.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Shares of Apple Inc slid more than 4 percent on Wednesday to a five-month low as investors grew more uncertain about its ability to fend off unprecedented competition and untangle a snarled iPhone 5 supply chain.

Apple’s slide was steeper than the S&P 500′s drop of about 2 percent the day after the U.S. election, putting the world’s most valuable technology company into bearish territory.

By Poornima Gupta

(Reuters) – The U.S. cable industry, hoping to revive innovation and beat back the emergence of online video, is turning for ideas to Silicon Valley.

Leading players from Time Warner Cable to Comcast Corp will next year set up a showpiece research center in the heart of a region that has spawned recent momentous trends, from social networking to the mobile revolution.

SAN FRANCISCO/NEW YORK (Reuters) – Apple Inc sold 3 million of its new iPads in the first three days the tablet computers were available, driving optimism for a strong holiday quarter despite intensifying competition.

Sales of the 7.9-inch iPad mini and fourth-generation 9.7-inch version, both Wi-Fi only models, were double the first-weekend sales of the Wi-Fi iPad sold in March, Apple said on Monday.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Apple Inc Chief Executive Tim Cook’s new go-to management team of mostly familiar faces failed to drum up much excitement on Wall Street, driving its shares to a three-month low on Wednesday.

The world’s most valuable technology company, which had faced questions about a visionary-leadership vacuum following the death of Steve Jobs, on Monday stunned investors by announcing the ouster of chief mobile software architect Scott Forstall and retail chief John Browett — the latter after six months on the job.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Apple Inc CEO Tim Cook on Monday replaced the heads of its software and retail units in the company’s biggest executive shake-up in a decade following embarrassing problems with its new mapping program and unpopular store-related decisions.

Software chief Scott Forstall, who oversaw the launch of the flawed mapping software and much criticized Siri voice-enabled assistant, will leave Apple next year.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Apple Inc Chief Executive Tim Cook on Monday replaced the heads of its software and retail units in the company’s most sweeping executive shake-up in a decade following embarrassing problems with its new mapping program and unpopular store-related decisions.

Software chief Scott Forstall, who oversaw the launch of the flawed mapping software and much criticized Siri voice-enabled assistant, will leave Apple next year and serve as an advisor to Cook in the meantime.