Here is a summary of recent earnings and reports for selected technology companies and what they reveal about the state of spending and the overall economy:
Tuesday: Intel Corp. offers an encouraging sign for what the computer industry might expect from the all-important holiday shopping season. The world's biggest maker of microprocessors, the "brains" of PCs, reports that its third-quarter net income leaped 59 percent and revenue rose 18 percent. The results topped analysts' expectations and showed that economic jitters didn't ruin consumers' appetite for new computers during the back-to-school crush.
Wednesday: Two market-research firms report personal computer sales for the third quarter. The numbers show that Apple Inc.'s iPad has rattled the technology world by causing many consumers to think twice about buying new personal computers.
Thursday: Google Inc. reports a 32 percent jump in net income and provides the most persuasive evidence yet that its past investments in display and mobile ads are paying off, helping it diversify away from search advertising.
Advanced Micro Devices Inc. says it narrowed its third-quarter loss slightly, as the chip-maker's remaining stake in factories it spun off last year dragged down the results. Ignoring the baggage from the spinoff, AMD says it would have earned more than Wall Street expected, a sign the company is getting better at squeezing profit out of the remaining business.
Among technology companies' earnings coming up:
Monday: IBM Corp., Apple Inc.
Tuesday: Yahoo Inc., EMC Corp.
Wednesday: eBay Inc., Netflix Inc.
Thursday: Amazon.com Inc., Xerox Corp.
Oct. 25: Texas Instruments Inc.
Oct. 28: Microsoft Corp., Motorola Inc.
Nov. 3: Qualcomm Inc.
Nov. 18: Dell Inc.
