A bit of gossip from the New York Post says that Appleis head software guru, Avie Tevanian, is preparing to leave Apple. Avie Tevanian is officially Appleis Senior Vice President of Software Engineering, but what that means is that he has been the brains behind Mac OS X since it was known as NeXTStep. From the New York Post piece:

Avie Tevanian, a longtime buddy, colleague and sometimes punching bag for Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs, is looking to leave the company, according to some in the know about whatis going on at Apple.

At least one company observer has speculated that the gains that Intel and Microsoft are making in improving computer speed and performance have something to do with Tevanianis departure. Some also point to Sony Corp.is increasing presence in the computer business - and its very attractive and expensive PCs and laptops - as new competition for Apple.

Others, who have known the pair for years, say Tevanian is simply ready to do something else.

The search for Tevanianis replacement hasnit been going well. One Silicon Valley exec turned away Jobsi very lucrative offers. Thatis not exactly a surprise, given Jobsi well-known and utterly well-deserved reputation for berating people with whom he disagrees.

There is additional information in the article that we did not quote. Apple doesnit comment on either rumor or speculation.