The North Carolina Utilities Commission today officially approved (PDF) Apple's proposal to construct a 4.8-megawatt fuel cell electric generating facility near its data center in Maiden, North Carolina. The Commission previously approved a plan by Apple to build the first of two 20 megawatt solar farms around its data center. The Public Staff presented this matter to the Commission at its Regular Staff Conference on May 21, 2012

Bloomberg reports that Steve Jobs was intimately involved in the design work for the next-generation iPhone scheduled for release later this year, reiterating claims that the device will be a substantial change from previous designs in part because of a larger display. Apple, based in Cupertino, California, has placed orders from suppliers in Asia for screens that are bigger than the 3.5- inch size now on the smartphone, said one of the people, who asked not to be identified because the plans aren’t public. Apple co-founder Steve Jobs had worked closely on the redesigned phone before his death in October, one person said

Apple today released OS X 10.7.4, the fourth maintenance update to OS X Lion. The update is currently available via Software Update and should appear on Apple's download pages soon. The 10.7.4 update is recommended for all OS X Lion users and includes general operating system fixes that improve the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac including fixes that: - Resolve an issue where the “Reopen windows when logging back in” setting is always enabled - Improve compatibility with certain British third-party USB keyboards - Address an issue that may prevent files from being saved to a server - Improve the reliability of copying files to an SMB server Detailed information is available in the full release notes .

Fortune yesterday released its 2012 "Fortune 500" list , ranking America's largest companies by revenue.

Apple appears to be testing a notification service on the iCloud website. The test message appears at the top of the browser window upon logging into iCloud.com .

In the latest installment of its "iEconomy" series, The New York Times takes a look at how Apple minimizes its corporate tax burden, taking advantage of a number of legal maneuvers and loopholes around the world. Apple's strategies are of course fully legal and used by many other corporations, but with a spotlight on Apple as it has rapidly risen to become the world's most valuable publicly-traded company with record-setting profits, it has obviously attracted much attention about how it handles its money. Apple, for instance, was among the first tech companies to designate overseas salespeople in high-tax countries in a manner that allowed them to sell on behalf of low-tax subsidiaries on other continents, sidestepping income taxes, according to former executives

Among the many anecdotes about Steve Jobs included in Ken Segall's new book, Insanely Simple: The Obsession That Drives Apple's Success , one in particular stands out for its glimpse into Jobs' character, providing evidence of his willingness to engage in playful ideas when the mood suited him. The story takes place relatively soon after the launch of the original iMac, with Jobs wanting to find a high-profile way to celebrate the sale of the millionth one to mark Apple's comeback from the dead

RTÉ reports that Apple is making plans to add 500 more jobs at its European headquarters in Cork, Ireland, bringing the total headcount at the site to 3,300 as the company works to continue expansion of its business in the region. The company plans to construct a three-storey office block next to its existing plant in the city to cater for the expansion of its business in Europe, the Middle East, India and Africa

FOSS Patents reports that the chief executives of Apple and Samsung, along with their respective general counsels, will meet within the next 90 days at a San Francisco courthouse for a court-moderated discussion aimed at settling the long-standing patent dispute between the two companies. As outlined in a joint statement before the court: As directed by the Court, Apple and Samsung are both willing to participate in a Magistrate Judge Settlement Conference with Judge Spero as mediator.

Back in late February, we noted that Apple had begun selling Brazilian-assembled 8 GB iPhone 4 models in that country, yielding the first fruits from Foxconn's production lines starting up in the country.