Microsoft Reveal Their Longhorn

Bill Gates promised
personal computer hardware makers at the Windows Hardware Engineering
Conference in Seattle the new version, code-named Longhorn, would offer
"beefed-up security, richer graphics, better organization and search of
information stored on PCs, as well as much faster performance."

After delays, the world’s largest software maker is facing its
longest-ever gap between releases of its Windows operating system,
which runs on more than nine out of 10 PCs worldwide. Longhorn’s
scheduled launch in time for the 2006 holiday season will come five
years after Windows XP’s debut in late 2001. In the meantime, Gates said a new version of Windows, called "Windows
XP Professional x64 Edition," aimed at enterprise customers, will begin
shipping next month. They can crunch more information at one time,
handling 64 bits of data compared with 32 bits in the previous
generation, he said.

Apple is shipping the  latest operating system for its Macintosh PC later this week.

The company describes the Mac OS X Tiger software, as
an operating system that already delivers much of the visual and search
features that Longhorn promises. Apple also already offers 64-bit PCs
with its G5 line of Macintosh computers.

Reuters Article