Product announcements for days: Microsoft and Apple madness

This week was quite the confluence of events, with Apple's "a little more to show you" and Microsoft's "Microtropolis" and Windows 8 debut. Ars served up lots of hot, tasty coverage on both of these events, so to better organize this weekend roundup we separated the Windows 8 and Surface announcements from the Apple product announcements. But we still had lots of great stories that didn't involve Microsoft or Apple, and you'll find the most important of those in the last section.

There's a lot to catch up on there, so get cracking!

Windows 8 and Surface

• Windows, reimagined: A review of Windows 8
  Windows 8 is a study in compromises. Do its two halves form a coherent whole?
• The Windows 8 upgrade install experience
  If you take good care of your PC, you might not need to do a clean install.
• Turning to the past to power Windows' future: An in-depth look at WinRT
  With Windows 8 and WinRT, everything old is new again.
• Microsoft's first stab at a tablet: Surface reviewed
  Does Redmond have what it takes to be a tablet manufacturer?
• Now that it's here, is there a place for Windows RT?
  The CPU landscape has changed since Microsoft begin porting Windows to ARM.
• My kingdom for some apps: The Asus VivoTab RT review
  An otherwise decent Windows RT tablet is hobbled by a lack of software.

Apple products

• Apple's October 23 event liveblog: "a little more to show you"
  Apple unveiled the iPad mini, new iMacs, MacBook Pro, and Mac mini.
• Apple announces 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro with 2560x1600 display
  The thinner, lighter, and more expensive laptops start at $1,699, ship today.
• Apple updates iPad with Lightning, A6X, "global" LTE support
  Replaces existing third-generation iPad six months early.
• iPad mini with 7.9-inch display starts at $329 for 16GB
  The Wi-Fi version of the tablet ships November 2.
• Hands-on with the thumb-able iPad mini and the ultrathin iMac
  Plenty of photos, including a bonus shot of Tim Cook demoing the iPad mini.
• Apple Fusion Drive—wait, what? How does this work?
  New feature sounds less like hybrid drive caching and more like auto-tiering.

Everything else

• A small (but glorious) world: The best microscope images of 2012
  Spiders, fossils, brains, and eyes all make the grade.
• Sony faces setback as hackers release PlayStation 3 decryption keys
  Availability of "LV0" keys allows access to console's most sensitive regions.
• Jailbreaking now legal under DMCA for smartphones, but not tablets
  Arbitrary rulings illustrate fundamental brokenness of the DMCA.
• Core i5 or Core i7—does your computer need the extra juice?
  Should new Mac and PC buyers spend the extra money for that lucky number seven?
• Samsung loses another big patent case to Apple, this time at ITC
  Ruling could result in some Samsung phones being banned from US market in 2013.
• Android apps used by millions vulnerable to password, e-mail theft
  Researchers uncover faulty encryption in apps available in Google's Play Market.
• Paper prophets: Why e-voting is on the decline in the United States
  States see the virtue of paper ballots, but some lack funds to ditch e-voting.
• Java still has a crucial role to play—despite security risks
  Many Ars readers block Java plugins, but say Java apps are important in business.
• Zynga lays off 5 percent of workforce, closes 3 offices (updated)
  Company to shut down 13 older games, scale back The Ville.
• Your tax dollars at play: Defending federal funding for games
  Sen. Tom Coburn doesn't understand; grants for game projects are far from wasteful.