New & Noteworthy: Apple very much in the news: BusinessWeek, Time, New York Times; 802.11 security; more

BusinessWeek on Apple in education A BusinessWeek article covers the QED (Quality Education Data) figures that indicate Apple is back at #1 in education. We had previously noted this before. "In public schools nationwide, it has dethroned reigning champion Dell Computer by a margin of greater than two to one." [Also see this related cnn.com article on Apple's newly acquired PowerSchool.]

Margin Note Of course, to most people outside the industry, the question is not whether Apple or Dell is number one, but whether Macs or PCs are number one. There is no dispute here. PCs are still clearly ahead. But Apple is moving to regain its former dominance and the new iBook is helping out in a big way!

zdnet.com reviews iBook Speaking on the iBook, zdnet.com gives it a glowing review. Stephan Somogyi likes it even better than the PowerBook G4 (citing especially the AirPort reception problems with the PowerBook). "While there's always room for enhancement and improvement, this is the first Apple system in a long time that hasn't immediately evoked the need to wait for Rev B."

zdnet gazes into Expo crystal ball; sees flat-panel iMac Matthew Rothenberg, in a zdnet article, makes predictions as to what Apple will reveal at next week's Macworld Expo. Of most interest: "It's worth noting that some reputable Mac observers are wagering that flat-panel iMacs won't hit the street until the next generation, and that this summer's stock will stick with the traditional CRT displays. Nevertheless, from what I hear, Apple isn't even purchasing the tubes that shaped the current all-in-one systems. I'm voting with the hoi polloi that this summer's model will bring the iMac up to speed with the flat-panel display technology."

cnet.com on Adobe and Macworld Expo A cnet.com article covers Adobe's decision to skip the upcoming Expo in New York: "The publishing software giant stressed in a series of interviews with media outlets this week that its absence at Macworld should not be seen as a slap at Apple Computer and denied any rift between the two companies."

Macworld Expo and user groups If you are going to Macworld Expo has part of a user group, check out this Apple page (thanks, Evan London.)

NYT on Apple Stores A New York Times article evaluates Apple's new retail stores. The bottom line; the jury is very much still out as to how successful these stores will be.

Time lauds Macs for CD burning. A Time magazine article lauds Macs as a much easier platform than PCs for burning CDs: "My final test was the beautifully simple iTunes, freely (and, sadly, only) available for Macs. Build a playlist, click on a button and let it burn, baby. My first iTunes CD was so easy to make and so glitch free, I had tears in my eyes. Tears, because all my music is on the other computer."

802.11 Security Auditing Tool A BusinessWire story states: "IBM Research has demonstrated the industry's first automated auditing tool that can monitor 802.11 wireless networks and collect security-related information, allowing system administrators to take proper actions to improve network security. The Wireless Security Auditor, a prototype application running on Linux, enables network administrators to find vulnerable access points by monitoring and analyzing them in real time, and ensuring they are either corrected or removed so they no longer pose a security threat to the company network." In related news a zdnet.com article looks at the "the war over 802.11x security," as does yet another article.

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