The effect, which was purely cosmetic, allowed the desktop, icons and windows that were hidden beneath other windows to show through the surround of the application.

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Google has decided to try to turn its own technology into, in effect, a new operating system, which will run on the internet rather than the desktop, so making Windows irrelevant.

ECONOMIST: The internet

Moreover the halo effect from the hot-selling media players has led to a surge in sales of Apple desktop and laptop computers that has made Apple a player in the computer market once again.

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