Apple gets long awaited boost

Apple Computer's recovery looks more plausible by the day. The last two years may represent a near death experience for the proprietary computer company, but this week its share price has rallied - just as other high-tech stocks have taken a fall.

Shares in Apple closed at $39 on Tuesday, and were up a further 3.5 per cent in early trading Wednesday on a generally buoyant Nasdaq. Other major IT stocks, including Dell, IBM and Intel, have all been pushed down in recent days, as major stock markets have worried over Japan's worsening economic condition and reacted to disappointing company results.

Although Apple remains a shadow of its former self, having seen its market share steadily decline, its announcement this week that it has 150,000 pre-launch orders for its distinctive iMac machines pleased Wall Street.

In the UK, distributors have confirmed demand is likely to outstrip supply, as has been the case with the company's latest Powerbook G3 laptops.