New and Noteworthy: iPod "halo effect" taking effect Down Under; Microsoft in "quandary" over virus secu

iPod "halo effect" taking effect Down Under Australian IT reports that Apple has increased Down Under sales of Macintosh computers by a massive 49.1 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2004, according to IDC market research. "That was the fastest growth recorded by any personal computer maker, and it took Apple's share of the Australian PC market from 3 per cent to 4.1 per cent. Apple was the sixth biggest maker, finishing behind Hewlett-Packard, Dell, IBM, Acer and Toshiba. Here are the words that Apple has been desperately wanting to hear: according to IDC PC market analyst Michael Sager, the figures show Apple's iPod halo strategy to attract Windows users to switch to the Mac platform is working in this country." More.

Microsoft in "quandary" over virus security The Associated Press speculates that if Microsoft doesn't do more to stem Internet attacks, the company risks further alienating customers. A recent article quotes Peter Kuper, an analyst with Morgan Stanley, who "believes Microsoft is most interested in protecting its Windows franchise, not finding a new way to make money. The security problems are costly and damaging to Microsoft's reputation, he said, and failure to address the threats could drive more customers to competing products such as the Mozilla Firefox browser or Apple Computer Inc.'s Mac OS computers." More.

Previously on MacFixIt

• Pop-up blocker no longer working: Not just Safari, 10.3.8, or Macs
• Mac OS X 10.3.8 (#8): PowerBook automatic screen brightness sensitivity; Safari
• iBook trackpad problems?
• Mac mini AirPort reception
• Odds and Ends: AOL 10.3.6 no longer an option in iPhoto preferences; Knowledge Base updates

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