In an unusual move, co-founder and interim chief executive Steve Jobs will host a news conference on Wednesday, while the stock market is open, to report fourth-quarter earnings, give an update on the hot-selling iMac computer and roll out the next version of the Macintosh operating system.Apple, like many West Coast technology companies, usually reports earnings after the close of the US stock market.

"I don't think they are doing this to report a loss," said Richard Doherty, director of Envisioneering Group, a consulting firm in Seaford, N.Y. "I think they are going to show that they have had the most successful computer launch in history."

Apple has reported three consecutive profitable quarters, fuelled largely by iMac, and analysts expect earnings of 49 cents a share for thelatest quarter and $1.71 a share for its fiscal year ended last month, according to First Call, which tracks estimates.

Apple's last profitable year was fiscal 1995, when it earned more than $400 million on sales of $11 billion.

But the company that helped popularise the personal computer lost $1.8 billion its last two fiscal years as it struggled to cut costs and refocus its products while customers defected to competitors.

Jobs, who has been back at Apple as interim CEO for just over a year, will take centre stage at Flint Centre, near the company's Cupertino, California, headquarters, a venue Apple has used before for special events.

In May, Jobs surprised the crowd by introducing the iMac, Apple's first new consumer product in several years, at the centre, where the original Macintosh machine was rolled out.

Since it began shipping in August, the innovative iMac, priced at $1,299, has sold briskly. Apple shipped a record 150,000 units to retailers, many of whom sold out quickly andreordered.

"I am expecting reasonably positive news out of these guys," said Lou Mazzucchelli, an analyst with Gerard Klauer Mattison & Co. "The company is really hitting on all cylinders in terms of their strategy."

Apple said it will release data on who is buying iMacs, which many analysts are watching carefully. The data should show many first-time computer buyers and some converts from Windows-based PCs.

"Everything I have seen has been bullish and I suspect that will be the case," said James Staten, an analyst with Gartner Group Inc.'s Dataquest in San Jose, Calif. Dataquest is still in the process of compiling its third quarter PC market data.

Preliminary market research data from one San Francisco BayArea retailer, ComputerWare, indicated in August that nearly 15 per cent of iMac buyers were buying their first computer and another 13 per cent were replacing a Windows-based PC.

"The larger question for the stock is whether these are just the faithful, buying their first Mac in afew years" or new users, said Mark Specker, a SoundView financial analyst.

Apple will also roll out the latest version of the Macintosh operating system, Mac OS 8.5, which includes a feature called Sherlock that Apple demonstrated this summer.

Sherlock is an integrated part of the operating system that can perform narrower Internet searches without using a browser and combs through the main search engines, including AltaVista, Excite, InfoSeek and HotBot, at the same time. Sherlock can also search documents on a hard drive.

"It has a lot of personal productivity features," said Doherty of Envisioneering. "(Sherlock) will allow you to find things faster. It's going to be a huge success."

Other new features in Mac OS 8.5 include faster networking performance and automation of printing and other simple tasks.