Halo 4: Crashed You Away

Last year's Halo: Reach might have been the swan song for original franchise creator Bungie, but the famous first-person shooter series has plenty of life left in it.

At their E3 2011 press conference in Los Angeles, Microsoft pulled the wraps off two new Halo endeavors. A short teaser trailer marked the debut of Halo 4. Featuring the return of series staple Master Chief, the new game is due out in holiday 2012:

This year, however, will see the release of Halo Combat Evolved: Anniversary, an HD remake of the original 2001 Xbox game that kicked off the series. It's due to release November 15th.

Apple: Unveil ICloud

Apple Inc. Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs, addressing an annual developers conference today, may give consumers a new way to access digital songs and information on smartphones and computers.

Jobs, on medical leave since Jan. 17, will make his second public appearance of 2011 at Apple’s conference in San Francisco. He will preview software updates for Apple’s iPhone, iPad and Mac, as well the new iCloud online storage service, which may help those gizmos wirelessly share the same materials.

Apple is using iCloud to retain its dominance in the smartphone and tablet markets amid fresh competition from devices powered by Google Inc.’s Android software. The new service may improve how users can access content across different Apple devices, keeping customers from defecting to rivals, said Frank Gillett, with Forrester Research Inc.

“The world we’re headed to is where you don’t have to think about which gadget has your stuff,” Gillett said. “As people get their content organized around one of these personal ecosystems, then it will be incredibly sticky because migrating won’t be convenient.”

Apple, based in Cupertino, California, fell $2.66 to $343.44 on the Nasdaq Stock Market on June 3, the most recent trading day. The shares have climbed 6.5 percent this year.