While Apple is to be applauded for auditing its suppliers in an attempt to identify poor working conditions, its suppliers are so powerful that Apple can't effect real change - and nor can any other tech company.

What had been unknown up until now was whether Apple's Wi-Fi-based iPad would have the capability to tether to an iPhone, thereby letting you harness the data connection from your mobile plan to surf the Web that way as well. The apparent answer, in a single syllable: no.

An audit of Apple's suppliers has found all sort of transgressions. But will we ever take notice of the real reasons that our cheap electronics are so inexpensive?

Apple has been repeatedly criticised for using factories that abuse workers and where conditions are poor. Last week, it emerged that 62 workers at a factory that manufactures products for Apple and Nokia had been poisoned by n-hexane, a toxic chemical that can cause muscular degeneration and blur eyesight.

Just days after Apple removed nearly 5,000 apps from the iTunes App Store because of "overtly sexual" content, Mashable reports that they may be making plans to bring them back--but under more controlled circumstances.

Apple has banned sexy apps from its app store -- but the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit app, the Playboy app, and the FHM app (which features sexy "girl of the week" photos) are still hanging around.

At first glance, Apple's move appears either prudish or hypocritical or both. Sexually-explicit content was already verboten in the App Store, and some of the newly banned apps were about as racy as the Sport Illustrated swimsuit issue. Apple's true motivation, it seems, is to protect its booming iPod Touch and fledgling iPad operations.

Sherif Hashim, a developer that found a baseband exploit in the latest version of the iPhone OS (3.1.3), recently got a message on his phone stating "This Apple ID has been disabled for security reasons." In addition, iH8sn0w, the hacker behind the PwnageTool alternative, Sn0wbreeze, also had his account disabled.

Macworld Expo without Apple was a smaller, lower-key affair, but there was still plenty to see. Here are some geeky highlights.

Jobs' longtime rival, Bill Gates said of the new iPad: "You know, I'm a big believer in touch and digital reading, but I still think that some mixture of voice, the pen and a real keyboard - in other words a netbook - will be the mainstream on that.

Was the surge in Mac sales a result of the new Intel CPU or was it the ability to set up Windows on a Mac as a dual boot OS?

The more people know about the iPad, the less they want to buy one, according to a study released Friday. But, are we expecting too much?

Is Apple's banning iPhone applications that would use location data for displaying advertising not as onerous as anything Microsoft tried--and mostly didn't get away with? What about banning the word "Android" from the App Store? Like Apple thinks it can control the flow of information its customers receive? Give me a break.

Apple has made a small but significant tweak to the way you use the App Store, adding a web preview option to the service.

The latest reports from the US suggest that the iPad's apps are going to be bigger in size and costlier than their iPhone counterparts.

Engadget posted an image last week of a leaked iPad and iPhone comparison and now AppleInsider believes that the image is proof of the next generation iPhone.

An updated information page shows that the firm is expecting to start shipping a Wi-Fi version in March, and a 3G model in late April. UK pricing has not been announced, however.

Two thirds of Brits are 'unimpressed' with Apple's new iPad, says MyVoucherCodes. Tthe online discount site said that 35 percent blamed the fact the device does not have a physical keyboard while half said the lack of Flash support is a turn-off.

After a big public announcement of the sort Apple had this week for the iPad CEO Steve Jobs often takes time in the day or two afterwards to have a Town Hall at One Infinite Loop, making himself available for questions from employees bold enough to stand up and take one right between the eyes.

In Steve Jobs' words, the iPad is Apple's "most advanced technology in a magical and revolutionary device at an unbelievable price". Which is nice. But as a new type of product, the iPad poses two significant questions: who's going to buy it, and what's it for?