Mark Bridge writes:

What’s the secret of Apple’s success? That’s the question I was asked earlier this week by LBC radio during a report on Apple’s impressive iPhone sales and its record quarterly results.

So here are six reasons I think Apple is doing so well at the moment.

We're back with a month of mobile industry news, including takeover talks and takeover rumours. O2 and Three are said to be discussing a merger... but is there any truth in the suggestions that BlackBerry could be up for grabs?

We also discuss Apple's record-breaking quarterly figures, the highlights of CES and the launch of Microsoft Windows 10, as well as saying farewell to the current version of Google Glass.

Cloud-based point-of-sale specialist Vend has announced a partnership with mobile payment provider iZettle.

It’s integrating the iZettle credit card reader with the Vend Register iPad App, making it easier for retailers to take payments without using a traditional cash register.

The Immobilise.com online database, which helps people to store their mobile phone’s IMEI number and record other valuable items, has had a significant security flaw fixed this week.

Users are able to see an online ‘certificate’ that includes their name, address and details of the property they’d registered.

However, security consultant Paul Moore discovered that changing the numbers in a web address for this certificate could reveal information about other people’s valuables.

EE has acquired UK distributor Mainline Communications Group.

The network operator already owned 26% of Mainline and had worked with the business for many years. The Mainline brand will continue but as a wholly-owned subsidiary of EE.