Microsoft Readies Longhorn

Microsoft 111 had been talking about Longhorn for so long that it's almost surprising the new OS hasn't already come and gone. Longhorn is arguably Microsoft's most ambitious software release since Windows 95. But as with many Microsoft OS development efforts, the schedule has slipped, and the company has scaled back its aspirations.

Apple switches to Intel

Apple's planned switch from IBM's PowerPC to Intel's Pentium line of microprocessors may be the biggest risk yet for a company known to "think different." At the announcement in June, Apple CEO Steve Jobs showed Mac OS X running on a Pentium based system, which he said the company had been working on secretly for years.