Mid-range PCs left behind; Microsoft loses Java case; more

Mid-range PCs left behind USA Today reports that holiday shoppers are snapping up expensive and cheap computers this year ? but leaving the midrange products on the shelves. "In a recent Bear Stearns study, 36% of retailers said PCs were selling better than expected, up from 23% before the holidays. Research firm Gartner Dataquest predicts that 35 million PCs will be sold during the holidays ? a 1.5% increase from last year and a growth rate far below that of years past." More.

Microsoft ordered to carry Java CNET reports that a U.S. district court judge has ordered Microsoft to include Sun Microsystems' version of Java with the Windows operating system, citing the software giant's history of undermining the platform-neutral programming language. "The preliminary injunction issued by Judge J. Frederick Motz in Baltimore is a double-barreled victory for Sun. The company won preliminary injunctions on a copyright infringement claim and on an order to compel Microsoft to carry the latest version of Sun's Java Virtual Machine software." More.

XM Satellite radio stays afloat The Washington Post reports that XM Satellite Radio Inc. has secured $450 million in financing, keeping the money-losing subscription-radio service afloat until mid-2004, when the company forecasts it will have enough customers to support itself. "The financing comes at a critical time for Washington-based XM, which has spent more than $1 billion to launch its service, including millions on national advertising to attract an audience accustomed to free radio." More.

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