New & Noteworthy: QuickTime Anniversary; MUG news; iPod praise; Apple's Time to Grow; more

Pioneering QuickTime still dominates the multimedia picture From the San Jose Mercury News: "The introduction of Apple QuickTime on Dec. 2, 1991, shaped the multimedia experience we take for granted today. It was the first piece of software to envision the computer as something other than a desktop publishing tool and as the creative hub for digital entertainment." More.

On a Macintosh Mission From the San Diego Union-Tribune: "These volunteers from the San Diego Macintosh User Group toiled out of a generosity fueled by the passion for Apple computers that is legendary among Mac devotees. There was also free pizza." More.

Washington Apple Pi Semi-Annual Computer Show and Sale takes place this Saturday at the Annandale Campus of Northern Virginia Community College. Doors open at 9am and close at 2pm. Admission is $5.00 per person. A $1.00 discount coupon is available here.

More iPod praise From MP3.com: "After seeing and reading all the hype, we finally got our grubby hands on the iPod. And guess what? From its gorgeous packaging to its excellent earbuds, it lives up to all that hype. Plus, it's so elegant (a buzzword from computing's not-so-distant past), it made us ashamed of our grubbiosity. Lost among most news and reviews is the fact that the iPod sounds fantastic." More.

Apple's Time to Grow From the Washington Post: "True to its contrarian style, Apple Computer Inc. in recent months has had an entirely different idea about how to weather the economic downturn that has prompted its competitors to retrench and hunker down." More.

Will Mac Dark Horse Take the Lead? An opinion from InteractiveWeek: "Of all the symbols of the Mac ecosystem's proud independence from the status quo, the timing of Macworld Expo/San Francisco is one of the most durable. Falling during the first weeks of January, this venerable trade show has complicated the holiday schedules of Mac developers, enthusiasts and journalists alike since the platform's infancy." More.

Margin note: rumors rumours everywhere and not a fact in sight We have been watching the pre-Expo rumor mill kick into high-gear this past week with a growing sense of bewilderment. Doesn't anyone remember last summer? The mechanism whereby a site posts unabashed speculation -- clearly labeled as such -- which is then repeated elsewhere until it becomes "mainstream news" seems even more out of control now than during the pre-NY hoopla. Unfortunately, the constant drumbeat of gossip is likely to deliver far more disappointment than enlightenment. Instead of posting links to the stories that incited us to write this paragraph (the previous item has several, if you can't help wondering), here is our Expo speculation: regardless of specific announcements, cool goodies will fill the floor and excitement will fill the air, unless everyone gets a hangover before the party even starts. [RD]

Cable-Modem Users Can't Turn to FCC From the Washington Post: "For the hundreds of thousands of cable-modem users who lost their Internet and email services this past weekend, and for the millions who still might, there is a stark reality: No government agency can help. High-speed Internet access is now as important to many small businesses as electric power and telephone service. Yet unlike those utilities, cable-modem service is not regulated by the government, even by those agencies that oversee Internet access provided by telephone lines." More.

TechTracker Holiday Sweepstakes - iMac Aquarium Users who purchase TechTracker Pro for $39.95 will have a chance to win an iMac aquarium.

MacDrive 5 is the newest version of this cross-platform file sharing software. MacDrive 5 provides an easy and seamless way for PCs and Macs to exchange documents. This update adds Windows XP compatibility, as well as continued support for Microsoft Windows Me, 98, 95, NT 4.0 and 2000.