In the first quarter, I.B.M. saw a decrease in its hardware business that affected both profits and revenue. Revenue was down 5 percent, to $23.4 billion compared with the same quarter a year ago, falling below analysts’ forecast of $24.7 billion. Net income decreased 1 percent, to $3 billion. This is the first time that I.B.M.’s earnings results have fallen short of analysts’ estimates since 2005. The company’s revenue growth has been modest, but the first quarter decrease exceeded any falloff... 

General Electric reported solid first-quarter earnings despite the economic downturn that has been plaguing many businesses this year. G.E.’s results were helped by higher profits in its aviation and transportation units and by G.E.’s finance division, GE Capital. The company reported net income of $3.53 billion, or 34 cents a share.  This was up 16 percent from $3.03 billion, or 29 cents a share, reported in the quarter a year earlier. Revenue in the first quarter was flat compared with figures... 

Search is estimated to be a $22 billion industry and is often considered the most lucrative and influential of online businesses. Now the industry is undergoing some changes. Instead of just pointing users in the right direction, the search industry is now trying to develop the knowledge and comprehension to answer specific queries. This has put the industry at its most significant crossroad since its invention and puts Google squarely in the crosshairs of its competitors. Consumers now want new... 

American law enforcement officials seeking to address national security concerns are expected to enter into an agreement with Sprint Nextel and SoftBank, its Japanese suitor, to restrict the combined company’s ability to pick suppliers for its telecommunications equipment and systems. This type of agreement is common to most technology investments in the United States by foreign companies. Because negotiations are continuing, the government officials spoke about the possible agreement on the condition... 

Procter & Gamble Co said that profit would fall more than anticipated in the next quarter. P&G said profit should decrease to $0.69 to $0.77 per share for the current fourth quarter ending in June. Analysts expected the company to report earnings of $0.81 cents per share. In the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012, P&G earned $0.82 per share. Chief Financial Officer Jon Moeller told analysts that the forecast is “realistic, not conservative.” Several factors were cited by the company as... 

The Ford Motor Company reported that its net income improved 15 percent in the first quarter, rising to $1.6 billion. Overall revenue increased by 10 percent in the quarter, reaching $35.8 billion. Alan R. Mulally, Ford’s chief executive, said, “Our strong first-quarter results provide further proof that our One Ford plan continues to deliver.” The company forecast that its full-year profit would match, or be better than, its performance in 2012. Strong sales in its core North American market... 

In New York, federal prosecutors filed a lawsuit accusing Novartis of providing illegal kickbacks to pharmacies. The kickbacks took the form of discounts and rebates and were intended to cause the pharmacies to promote use of one of the company’s drugs. The suit began as a whistle-blower lawsuit that remains under seal, as does the identity of the whistle-blower. The lawsuit was filed in Federal District Court in Manhattan. The Novartis drug involved in the dispute is called Myfortic and is an... 

In an attempt to gain ground on its competitors, T-Mobile started selling the iPhone to its customers without asking customers to sign-up for long-term service contracts. The new marketing strategy spreads the cost of the device over a two-year period and can be paid off early if customers choose to walk away. However, some do not believe it will be enough to draw customers away from the other major carriers. T-Mobile recently announced they would be offering the iPhone 5 for $100 up front and $20... 

In Europe, antitrust regulators have received a formal complaint about Google’s Android operating system for mobile devices. Fairsearch Europe, a group of Google’s competitors, filed the complaint against the Android operating system for mobile saying that it was a deceptive way for Google to gain advantages for its main Google apps. Nearly 70 percent of smartphones shipped last year run Google’s Android software. Joaquín Almunia, the European Union’s antitrust chief, did not comment on... 

Apple has announced a plan to more than double its program to reward shareholders by returning cash to them through stock buybacks and a higher dividend. The technology giant announced that it planned to spend $100 billion on the effort through the end of 2015. Share repurchases will increase from $10 billion to $60 billion. This is the largest such plan in history, the company said. Apple recently announced its first profit decline in a decade. Apple reported that its net income decreased 18 percent... 

Boeing acknowledged that tests of the lithium-ion batteries on its 787 planes underestimated the risks of fire. Mike Sinnett, Boeing’s chief engineer on the 787, revealed that the calculation that a battery would fail only once every 10 million flight hours only applied to the design of the battery and did not take into account possible flaws in manufacturing. However, the company defended its previous assessment that the hazard was extremely unlikely. The 787 is the first major commercial airplane... 

Yahoo’s first-quarter earnings beat analysts’ expectations. Net income in the first quarter increased 36 percent to $390 million, or 35 cents a share, from the same quarter a year ago. Wall Street analysts had expected net income of 24 cents a share. Its first quarter operating income was $186 million. Revenue decreased to $1.14 billion, down 7 percent from the year-ago quarter. Revenue was flat at $1.07 billion when traffic acquisition costs were excluded. Yahoo’s display ad business fell... 

Microsoft has published reports of recent requests for data made by government law enforcement agencies. They are joining companies like Google and Twitter that publish these reports to provide transparency to their millions of customers. According to announced plans, the Microsoft report will be updated every six months and will show the number of request made by government agencies to obtain information about the users who use their services. The first report showed that five countries, including... 

J.C. Penney stores are filled with well designed brands, signage and layouts, but they are missing customers. Two years ago, Bill Ackman of Pershing Square Capital Management used his stake in the company to persuade its board to hire Ron Johnson, creator of the Apple retail stores, as chief executive. So far, Johnson’s strategy to regain market share and customers has led the company nowhere. The company’s stock has fallen an estimated 30% following their fourth-quarter earnings report and 60%... 

Quantum technology is ready for commercial deployment according to Lockheed Martin, an American military contractor. The company is the first to use quantum computing as part of its business and is confident that the technology can be expanded on a commercial scale. Quantum technology goes outside of the standard computing code by using new values and creating new computing realities. Those working on quantum computing are optimistic about the breakthroughs to come. Some skeptics believe the technology... 

Google is taking on Microsoft and Amazon for the lead in the cloud computing market. The company has verified that it’s doubling its office space near Seattle and is actively searching for engineers to work on its cloud technology. Google is adding 180,000 square feet of space to its Kirkland, WA offices, making it the third largest facility the company owns in the U.S. The facility will include all of the perks you’d expect from Google, like espresso bars, massage parlor, and climbing walls. Google... 

In an attempt to bring the sales war directly to Apple on their home turf, Samsung revealed the Galaxy S 4 at Radio City Music Hall in New York. JK Shin, president of Samsung Mobile Communications, said “Once you spend time with the Galaxy S 4, I’m very confident you’ll find how its innovations make your life simple and fuller.” This is the first promotional launch the company has had for its flagship Galaxy devices. Before the introduction at Radio City Music Hall, the tech world discussed... 

Microsoft is reportedly being examined by authorities for its activities with foreign government officials that have been accused of taking bribes in exchange for business. The violations being reviewed come from a federal law that passed in 1977 that makes it illegal for government officials to receive money from American companies to further their business interest. Justice Department spokesperson, Michael Passman, said he could not confirm nor deny the existence of investigations. The Obama administration... 

General Motors has changed the look of the new Chevrolet Impala, which will be shipping to dealerships soon. Chevrolet is the company’s biggest selling brand and the company hopes that the new overhaul will increase the interest of the public. The new design has little resemblance to the current model. The company is setting out to reverse the sales numbers for the Impala. About 70% of the Impala’s sales are in the rental and fleet categories, which means profits are lower for the sale of those... 

John A. Frascotti, global chief marketing officer at Hasbro, stated that there are not a lot of brands in the world that reach the same emotional connection across generations like Transformers do. Hasbro created the Transformers franchise in 1984 with Japanese partners to target boys near the age of 5 years old. Since then, the company has expanded outside of their intended audience with new toy lines that are intended to appeal to everyone, from toddlers to adults. Transformers is one of the most... 

Federal Reserve stress tests revealed that Goldman Sachs is riskier than it portrays itself to be. In its annual reports, Goldman stated the market risk for 2012 could only lose an average of $86 million per day, which is 60% less than in 2009. However, the Federal Reserve doesn’t agree that the trading risk has dropped that much. Goldman has declined to comment on the stress test findings. The Fed’s stress test estimates the trading losses based on how banks would do during a hypothetical economic... 

I.B.M. is taking steps to expand artificial intelligence into something that is useful in the commercial sense through Watson. The new Watson projects will encompass elements of commercialization, research initiatives and other technologies that will lead I.B.M. and other companies forward. The technology expansion takes Watson into new directions and has the company excited about the business opportunities that will follow. The company’s market focus includes corporations, science laboratories... 

Barnes & Noble warned that its third quarter results will be lower than the previous year, partly due to losses in the Nook Media division. The company has not been successful investing in digital media over the last few years. The problem that Barnes & Noble faces is not loss of sales, but how it can focus on licensing digital content and move away from manufacturing devices. Abandoning the Nook would be a complete turn around for the company, who promoted the device as its future late last... 

AT&T wants their customers to be able to connect everything to their wireless networks. The company plans to allow devices other than smartphones and tablets to connect to their network. Everything from cars, home security systems, dog collars, and medicine bottles have built in wireless capabilities. AT&T seeks to connect these devices to their network and provide consumers with a single wireless platform to power all of their devices. The new “Internet of Everything” platform provides... 

Dell has reported another disappointing quarter for sales and profits. These reports have shone light on a continuous downturn that has significantly affected shareholders. The company has struggled to stay profitable with shifts to smartphones and tablet computers occurring more rapidly in recent times. Dell’s Chief Executive Michael S. Dell declined to participate in conference calls scheduled to discuss the financial results with analysts. The company’s most recent quarter was better than...