As Apple prepares to go to trial to fight the US Department of Justice's claims that the Cupertino company conspired to fix ebook prices with publishers , former publisher of the Wall Street Journal L. Gordon Crovitz has an interesting oped in today's paper which he says that Apple's 30% profit sharing "agency model" with ebook publishers does not amount to the price fixing conspiracy that the DOJ accuses the company of.

Apple is preparing to open another retail store in Perth, Australia, according to a PertNow report . A recent job advertisement for the store invited potential employees to "be part of an exciting team with one of the world's most admired retailers." The positions are for a store in South Perth, and PerthNow believes the store will make its home in Booragoon's Garden City

Apple announced today that it will expand its headquarters in Cork, Ireland. "Apple has been in Cork for over 30 years and we are thrilled to be expanding our presence there," an Apple spokesman told the Irish Times . "Our plans will add over 500 new jobs to support our growing business across Europe." The Cupertino Company is meeting with local officials, the IDA Ireland and the Minister for Jobs Richard Burton who says this expansion "is a huge boost for the country." Apple's current plant in Cork was opened in 1980 and was the first non-US headquarters for the company

What is arguably the most anticipated earnings call on Wall Street every quarter will take place next Tuesday, April 24th at 2pm PT/5pm ET . That's when Apple will release its earnings report for the second quarter, which ended March 31st

Apple's inventory of the new iPad is holding up well, especially in the US. Unlike the iPad 2 which faced shortages when it launched, the new iPad is readily available. Most US retail stores have at least one model of the iPad in stock and the online store is steadily improving shipment times.

Following Best Buy’s announcement that it would shutter 50 retail locations as part of an effort to cut costs, one market research firm said it believes the decline of big-box consumer electronics retailers in the United States and Europe will continue.

Apple pulled the trial versions of Aperture 3 and productivity suite iWork '09 from its website, according to a report from MacStories .

Former Apple Genius Stephen Hackett recounted his years working at an Apple Store in his recent book, Bartending: Memoirs of an Apple Genius . The short book is just under 50-pages and details the customers and problems Hackett saw while working as a Genius

Former Apple Genius Stephen Hackett recounted his years working at an Apple Store in his recent book, Bartending: Memoirs of an Apple Genius . The short book is just under 50-pages and details the customers and problems Hackett saw while working as a Genius. It's a lighthearted, personal read that you can finish in about an hour

Apple may be opening a second Apple Store in Rome and will be celebrating the grand opening on Rome's birthday, says a report in iSpazio . The new store will be located in the Porta di Roma shopping mall and will open on April 21, 2012, the date when Italy will commemorate the city's founding in 753 BC.