John G. Spooner

Graphics performance, which has long been an afterthought for most corporate PCs and many consumers, will move to the forefront with the launch of Windows Vista, Microsofts next Windows operating system. Vista, due late next year, will offer four different themes, including the well-publicized three-dimensional Aero Glass with transparent windows. Starting with a Classic theme, […]

Advanced Micro Devices Inc. is planning for quads. The Sunnyvale, Calif., chip maker is aiming to roll out a quad-core-capable processor family during 2007 and switch to an all-new processor architecture later this decade. The quad-capable family will result in a wide range of four core processors, including offerings for desktops, notebooks and one for […]

Advanced Micro Devices has been moving up in the retail world, a new report shows. But despite gaining share in desktops, AMD continues to face stiff competition from Intel in notebook PCs. Last month, 49.8 percent of desktops sold by retail stores in the United States contained an AMD processor, while 48.5 percent held a […]

Virtualization technology has begun its arrival on the desktop. Intel Corp. on Monday began offering desktop PC processors with virtualization, a technology that can partition a computer to run multiple different types of software simultaneously. The Santa Clara, Calif., chipmaker sees offering features such as its Virtualization Technology, in addition to making the move to […]

Dell Inc. says its back in the groove. The PC maker followed a second-quarter consumer PC pricing misstep with what amounted to a disappointing third fiscal quarter. Dell reported on Thursday record revenue of $13.9 billion on shipments of 9.2 million units for the quarter, which ended Oct. 28, but saw slower than expected sales […]

Advanced Micro Devices Inc. has been moving up in the retail world, a new report shows. But, despite gaining share in desktops, AMD continues to face stiff competition from Intel Corp. in notebook PCs. During October, 49.8 percent of the personal computers sold by retail stores in the United States contained an AMD processor, while […]

Dell Inc., which grew rapidly during the economic downturn as competitors stumbled, is finding the going rough as it continues to shift its focus from lower-end PCs to higher-margin hardware and services. The Round Rock, Texas, company last week issued a warning that its third-quarter revenues would come in lower than officials initially predicted and […]

Manufacturers have begun tapping new processes that are capable of producing smaller, more power-efficient processors, in order to help dual-core chips proliferate in 2006. Dual-core chips, which include two processor cores in place of one, have been limited to a relatively small number of high-end desktops and servers to date. But now manufacturers such as […]

ThinkPad fans can, once again, pick up one of the famous black boxes in stores. Lenovo Group Ltd. on Thursday announced that retailer Office Depot Inc. will stock two ThinkPad models on shelves inside its 1,000 stores, located across North America, beginning Nov. 6. The move, which Lenovo says is designed to help it target […]

Advanced Micro Devices Inc. gained a bigger piece of the pie in the third quarter. The Sunnyvale, Calif., chip maker, which is Intel Corp.s primary rival in x86 processors—the type of processor most PCs and many computer servers are based on—gained 1.6 points of market share during the quarter, a report by Mercury Research Inc. […]

Editors Note: This story is part of , a continuing series of stories from the reporters and editors of Ziff Davis Internet. Instead of the usual mile-high look at the year ahead, these articles examine particular technologies and markets in transition, including whats in store for them. All the years in the making might hurt […]

Dell Inc., which on Monday night issued a third quarter earnings warning, has enacted what it characterizes as a small number of layoffs as a part of a restructuring it says will cut costs and increase efficiencies. The Round Rock, Texas PC maker, will also replace numerous motherboards in Optiplex GX270 and GX280 business desktop […]