New & Noteworthy: iBook news; Griffin PowerWave; 802.11g mired in politics; Bryce 5; more

iBooks scarce? MacFixIt reader Jim Cook recently ordered a new iBook from the Apple Store and was told that it would take 20 days to fulfill the order.

CNET rates iBook higher than TiBook John Rizzo rated the new iBook higher than the G4 PowerBook in this CNET review. Seth Robson notes that "Not only does CNET rate the iBook (Dual USB) higher than the TiBook, but it's also the only laptop on either platform that they give a 9/10 rating."

Griffin Demos new audio products at Macworld Expo PowerWave is a professional quality USB audio recording and playback adapter with integrated digital amplifier. The PowerMate is a unique USB volume controller for your computer's audio output. Both products will be demonstrated at MacWorld Expo NY, booth 273.

802.11g Faces its Final Hurdle "For a second straight time, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has held off on determining the technological standard to extract data and deliver it wirelessly through the unlicensed airwaves of the 2.4 GHz spectrum at rates of 20 megabits per second (Mbps), prolonging the rollout of all chipsets for next-generation 802.11g wireless LAN (WLAN) products." More.

Bryce 5 is available. Corel Corporation has announced that 3D Landscaping and Animation software Bryce 5 is now available in stores. New features include speed improvements, a light lab, tree lab, and a new set of graphic primitives for organic objects.

The Internet Revolution Has Nothing to Do With the Nasdaq Michael Lewis takes an in-depth look at some of the revolutionary changes sparked by the Internet in this New York Times article. (Free registration required.) An excerpt: "The profit-making potential of the Internet had been overrated, and so the social effects of the Internet were presumed to be overrated. But they weren't. Speeding up information was not the only thing the Internet had done. The Internet had made it possible for people to thwart all sorts of rules and conventions. It wasn't just the commercial order that was in flux. Many forms of authority were secured by locks waiting to be picked."

The Monopoly Has Just Begun "Insidiously, incrementally, Microsoft is getting more and more of me. That has me worried." writes Stewart Alsop in Fortune.com. He notes that even for Mac users, Microsoft is collecting your personal data.