Apple will start selling the new version of Mac OS X--known as Leopard--on Oct. 26. The product will include a simplified method for backing up files to prevent data loss and easier ways to view the contents of files without opening them, among other features. Apple CEO Steve Jobs says he expects Leopard will help continue an upward sales trend--Mac sales are growing at more than twice the pace of PCs-- especially in the consumer market, where Apple puts most of its emphasis. "The question is are we headed for a tipping point," Jobs says. Apple does …

Gatorade Tiger--a partnership between Tiger Woods and the world's leading sports drink--will make its debut in stores next March and will be supported by a major marketing campaign. Woods will be the biggest star on a Gatorade roster that already includes some of the biggest names in sports. Woods' beverage is not golf-specific, and ads from agency Element 79 will likely focus on its role in his training regimen. It will be available in cherry blend, citrus blend and grape flavors, in either 500-milliliter or 32-ounce bottles. The deal represents Woods first foray into selling …

The 2008 Ford Focus will be the first vehicle to feature Sync--a new voice-activated onboard computer connectivity system developed with Microsoft that will allow motorists to fully integrate their cell phones and iPods with their automobiles. Sync is debuting on the entry-level compact to attract younger buyers to Ford. Though based on the same platform as the current model, the automaker also is counting on significant improvements to quality, safety and fuel economy to make the Focus the hit Ford desperately needs in the growing small car market long dominated by imports. Sync will be the first system …

A letter Verizon Wireless recently sent to customers informing them that it would begin sharing information from their calling records with its "affiliates, agents and parent companies" has stirred concern with consumer advocates. They suggest the company also wants to use the information to tailor the advertising it displays on cell phone screens based on individual customer habits and attributes. Using phone records for ad delivery would be especially sensitive, according to Gene Kimmelman, vice president of federal and international affairs at the Consumers Union. "There is a cultural expectation of complete privacy with the telephone," he says. …

Olympic athletes in low-wattage sports like badminton, kayaking, fencing and water polo are to appear in a series of ads for Bank of America--including posters in bank branches and online spots--before the Beijing Games in August. The perceived purity of smaller sports plays a big role in BOA's choices, says bank spokesman Joseph Goode. Many major sports have been beset by scandal. Home Depot also has had a policy of hiring lesser-known Olympic hopefuls with full pay and benefits, while requiring them to work 20-hour weeks with schedules that allow flexibility for training. And Visa has made it a …

Ben Stiller and the Farrelly brothers' "The Heartbreak Kid" managed only $14 million in North American ticket sales during the Oct. 5 weekend the film opened, a good $6 to $12 million below industry expectations. In fact, total industry ticket box office receipts were only $80 million, a whopping 27% below the same weekend the year before. The culprit? Many film executives are convinced audiences stayed home to play Microsoft's "Halo 3," which went on sale Sept. 26. The game sold an astonishing $170 million worth of copies on its first day, before going on to sell well …

LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton--the world's biggest luxury group--beat forecasts and posted double-digit organic gains across all business groups in the three months ended Sept. 30. "This clearly illustrates our view that consumer demand for luxury goods on average has been unaffected by the recent credit and real-estate turmoil," says Goldman Sachs analyst Jacques-Franck Dossin. Stripping out the impact of currency, which shaved five points off totals, the increase in the quarter stood at 15%, fueled by strong gains in Asia, the U.S. and improvements in Japan. Despite the strong showing--especially for high-margin businesses like …

The most popular answer to the Consumer Electronics Association's annual, open-ended survey about respondents' holiday wishes last year was clothing, followed by peace and happiness, money and then computers. This year, computers top the list, followed by peace and happiness, big-screen TVs, clothes and then money. Such enthusiasm for computers, TVs and other electronics will help drive electronics sales up 7% to $48.1 billion in the fourth quarter from $44.8 billion a year ago, the CEA forecasts. By comparison, the overall retail industry is expected to see holiday sales grow 4%, according to the National Retail Federation. People …

Looking for more-efficient ways to reach the doctors who prescribe its medicines, Pfizer is announcing a partnership today with Sermo, a social-networking site for licensed physicians. Pfizer-affiliated doctors will be able to talk candidly with the site's 31,000 members, potentially giving the company insights into prescribing patterns and a way to show doctors data on its drugs. Pfizer is under financial pressures as some of its best-selling products lose patent protection. But the drug industry's interactions with doctors are highly scrutinized by regulators and lawmakers for signs that they are offering financial incentives to drive sales or promoting …

Wii has created a passionate group of devotees out of people who previously couldn't have cared less about video games, so Ad Age has named Nintendo as its Marketer of the Year. Nintendo is extending its influence beyond the world of gaming to make its mark on how mass audiences interact, the magazine claims. Wii marketing began almost as a study in how to ignore your best consumers--the young males who dominate gaming. While other video-game makers were trying to incorporate gamers' intense demands into their next-generation hardware, Nintendo set out to create products that could change the dynamics …