In years to come our current eramay be remembered as The Epochof Apple. The sleek, minimaldesign on their gadgets has proved a huge hit with young professionals everywhere in Britain.

In May Apple released the iPad in the UK. This is a tablet computer that attempts to combine the computing power of a laptop with theportability and usability of a smartphone. Some critics have called it a compromise, but that didn't stop Apple selling 300,000 units on the first day of trading in the US.

Now Apple have launched a new version of their successful iPhone. The new handset contains a front-facing camera for video conferencing and a gyroscope to allow users to play games by waving the device about.

The first quarter of 2010 proved to be the most successful yet for the iPhone, showing that Apple will not become a victim to a tougher economic climate.

Steve Jobs had a few problems with the iPhone 4

Indeed, two weeks ago Apple's market value overtook that of itsarch-rival, Microsoft, for the first time since 1989. In 2000, Microsoft was worth £382 billion (3.8 trillion yuan) while Apple was worth just £11 billion (109 billion yuan). Now both companies are worth around £150 billion (1.5 trillion yuan).

The economist and blogger Mark J. Perry writes that if someone who bought a $5,700 (39,000 yuan) Apple PowerBook in 1997 had spent that money on Apple stock instead, it would now be worth $321,000 (2.2 million yuan).

Many link Apple's rise to the guile and foresight of its CEO, Steve Jobs. Jobs was forced out of the company in the 1980s but he was brought back a decade later to reverse its fortunes.

It is a sign of the importance of Jobs to the company that when his health took a turn for the worse last year, Apple's share prices fluctuated.

Now Steve Jobs is fighting fit again but even he is not immune to frustrating computer problems. At the launch of the iPhone 4, he appeared in his trademark blue jeans and black turtleneck. When he tried to get the new gizmo to access the internet a notice appeared on the screen: "Cannot open page. Safari cannot open the page because it is not connected to the Internet".

"Well Jeez" said Jobs, "I don't like this.