A round-up of today's other stories in brief.
Capgemini triples profits in first half
Capgemini, Europe's largest computer consultancy, tripled its core first-half profit yesterday, driven by rapid growth in consulting services, and delivered optimistic forecasts for 2006 and 2007.
For 2006, the group reiterated its July prediction of revenue growth approaching 10 per cent on a like-for-like basis.
First-half net profit rose to €71 million from €58 million, while sales increased an already reported 9 per cent to €3.78 billion. Capgemini also said it will buy a 51 per cent stake in business process outsourcing unit Unilever India Shared Services from consumer goods maker Hindustan Lever for an undisclosed sum.
Apple puts faster chips into iMacs
Apple Computer says its entire line of iMac computers will use faster microprocessors from Intel, and has introduced a $999 (€785) model of its popular PC line.
Apple also says it will offer a new 24-inch iMac in addition to its existing 17-inch and 20-inch models. IMac prices now range from $999 for a 17-inch model to $1,999 for the new 24-inch computer.
All iMacs now have Intel's Core 2 Duo processors, delivering up to 50 per cent faster performance than previous iMacs, the company said. Apple said the new line starts shipping next week.
Apple began using Intel processors for iMacs in January. - (Reuters)
Microsoft issues prices for Vista
Microsoft has announced US prices for Windows Vista, the long-awaited new version of the operating system that sits on more than 90 per cent of the world's PCs.
The software maker set the retail price for Vista at between $199 (€156) to $399. Microsoft also reconfirmed its plan to target a general launch of the product in January after making it available to large-volume business customers in November.
However, Microsoft raised the prospect yesterday that it might delay the introduction of its new Vista Windows operating system in Europe, depending on anti-trust requirements of the European Commission.
Microsoft Vista, which has been five years in the making, has been postponed several times. - (Reuters)
