FILE -In this Dec. 7, 2011, file photo, a shopper heads into the Apple store at Legacy Village shopping plaza in Lyndhurst, Ohio. As the holiday-shopping season approaches, Microsoft

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FILE -In this Dec. 7, 2011, file photo, a shopper heads into the Apple store at Legacy Village shopping plaza in Lyndhurst, Ohio. As the holiday-shopping season approaches, Microsoft and Apple have scheduled major events to unveil new gadgets and software. The Microsoft event Thursday Oct. 26, 2012, will focus on Windows 8, a major update to its lucrative operating system. Apple, meanwhile, is expected to unveil a smaller iPad at an event in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2012. (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta, File) less