There's a SimCity 4 Preview on GameSpot describing what's new and different about the next installment in the classic city-building series, as well as aspects of the successful formula Maxis will not be changing. They discuss how the emergence of the SimCity-inspired Sims is influencing the project, the way cities now interact with their regions, newfound variety in city types, new interface options, maintaining balance, new buildings, improved graphics, and more.
"Stephen Wolfram is the creator of Mathematica and is widely regarded as the most important innovator in scientific and technical computing today." - Stephen Wolfram