Microsoft Aims to Unstick 'Laggard' Label

Although Microsoft(MSFT Quote) is betting heavily on its Longhorn operating system -- still some two years away -- company bulls are counting on a menu of other products to drive growth in the interim.

But are these offerings meaty enough to help Microsoft's shares lose their recent reputation as a straggler?

The company's stock has slumped nearly 4% from a year ago vs. a 1.7% rise in the Goldman Sachs Software index. The shares haven't broken the $30 mark since March 2002, stubbornly eluding analysts' one-year price targets that reach as high as $35. ...