Futurists hedge their bets for 2001
Nervous about going out on a gloom-and-doom limb like they did in 2000, many would-be fortune-tellers have dramatically scaled back their predictions for 2001.
PC market staggers into 2001
After starting 2000 with strong sales, computer makers were blindsided by soft demand in the second quarter and the collapse of growth during the Christmas holidays.
Lessons learned from processor past
What caused Intel to fumble in 2000 and Advanced Micro Devices to enjoy one of its best years ever? A lot of little events that happened in 1998.
Storage industry comes on strong
The growing importance of storage has boosted the market's fortunes, spawning a host of start-ups and shaking up the org charts of the world's biggest computing companies. 
Is Cisco ready for a challenging year?
As 2000 closes, the company faces serious challenges as it grows at a breakneck pace and fights a set of smaller companies for technological dominance and market share.
Networkers go for wild market ride
In 1999, networking IPOs gained an average of 460 percent from their offer prices, while in 2000 they gained an average of just 5 percent.
Size matters for wireless giants
In a year when much of the telecommunications world stumbled, the wireless industry reshaped itself around a new vision of what a mobile phone company needs to be.
Telecom misses its connection
Far and wide, established communications companies and aspiring start-ups were forced to alter course to survive in a cutthroat consumer and business market. 
Online advertisers fail to sell
Internet advertising didn't click this year with investors, whose concerns about slowing ad sales dragged down valuations of content-related sites such as Yahoo and America Online.
Courts set rhythm for online music
Many of the defining moments in the past year's online music world came not in corporate boardrooms or on the byways of the Net, but in the tense confines of the courtroom. 
Venture capitalists sail turbulent waters
Venture capitalists are still flush with cash, but they have become highly skeptical of most business plans and don't think many start-ups are worthy of their money.
IPO market goes to the dogs
The 451 IPOs in 2000 post an average loss of 15 percent by mid-December, compared with an average gain of 194 percent in 1999.
E-commerce loses its luster
Investors fled the online shopping sector this year, leaving Web companies to go belly-up and giving traditional retailers a leg up.
Market turmoil tarnishes stock options
As the job market and the economy cool, 2001 is likely to see a major refocusing on core salaries, performance-based bonuses and other benefits instead of stock options. 
Will Net appliances reach adulthood?
Simplified devices designed for Net surfing have been touted as a successor to the PC. But the high cost of attracting customers, a muted acceptance and a shortage of capital hurt the market in 2000.
XML as the great peacemaker
Extensible Markup Language accomplished the seemingly impossible this year: It brought bitter software enemies together to speak the same tongue.
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