IT Buoy

The first commercial for Apple’s iPad tablet aired during tonight’s Oscars telecast. Engadget posted the video , which we’ve embedded below. It looks sexy. Also, Apple CEO Steve Jobs is apparently attending the awards ceremony in L.A., perhaps because Pixar’s “Up” is nominated for five Oscars. (And already won one.) Read the rest of this story

Google’s stock has fallen 14% since January 4, when it was at a two-year high of $626.75. That provides investors a good opportunity to pick up some Google stock on the cheap, says Citi analyst Mark Mahaney. In a note this week, he says Google’s long term prospects remain strong. The company is well positioned to take advantage of the growth that’s due for Internet advertising. Read the rest of this story

Apple products are made in factories that regularly employ young teenagers, constantly work people more than 60 hours per week, and falsify records to cover up their misdeeds. That’s according to the shameless gossiping muckrakers at… uh, Apple Inc. The company’s brightly-named ” Supplier Responsibility 2010 Progress Report ” ( PDF ) contains some dark information about the contractors who actually make Apple products, mostly overseas and mostly in China. Read the rest of this story

Apple allowed reporters to cover its annual shareholders meeting on Thursday . Read the rest of this story

Consumers know Google primarily as a search engine, but for years the company has been trying to diversify into new products, including email, Web apps, mobile phones, and YouTube. But in reality, Google is still the world’s biggest ad-driven media company.