Troubles arising from the so-called Millennium Bug (chips and programs that think 00 is 1900, not 2000) will surface as companies and governments shift to fiscal year 2000.
Last year, Microsoft made its first foray into homegrown computing devices with its Surface tablet, and company executives have said more devices are in the works, as it makes a shift from a software maker to what Chief Executive Steve Ballmer has called a "devices and services" company.