Apple Computer and International Business Machines announced...

Apple Computer and International Business Machines announced that IBM Vice President Joseph Guglielmi will be chairman and chief executive of a joint venture company formed to develop a new generation of basic computer software, while Apple Senior Vice President Edward W. Birss will be chief operating officer.

Separately, IBM announced that George Conrades, once considered a strong candidate to become chairman of IBM but who was shunted aside in a management shuffle last fall, will resign. Conrades said he wanted to devote all his time to pursuing opportunities outside IBM.