New and Noteworthy: Mac mini beats a Dell desktop in shoot-off; Symantec's self-serving warnings about Mac OS X vulnerability;

Mac mini beats a Dell desktop in shoot-off Australian IT compares the Mac mini to a standard Dell Dimension desktop, putting the final vote in the mini's favor: "How do the two machines pan out? In basic trim they have broadly similar specifications and pricing. The mini may not be everyone's choice, but Apple has convincingly shown you no longer have to pay more for a Mac. The Dell is possibly slightly ahead on performance, and upgrades and add-ons are generally cheaper ? and it's delivered to your door. But it simply isn't as small or cute as the Mac mini." More.

Symantec's self-serving warnings about Mac OS X vulnerability A ZDNet article debunks most of Symantec's odd claims, released yesterday, that Mac OS X is a more vulnerable operating system today than it was, say a year ago. "It's difficult to grasp the reasoning behind these statements. Symantec's only piece of solid evidence is reference to 37 previous high-impact vulnerabilities in Mac OS X ? all of which have been patched. Juxtaposed against the 17,500 Windows-based viruses and threats, it's clearly an uneven contest. One telling finding in the report was the decline in bot-scanning activity during the second half of 2004 ? Symantec recorded a dip from 30,000 per day to 5,000 on a daily basis. The company concluded that the decrease corresponded with the availability of Windows XP Service Pack 2." More.

iTunes-Cell phone concept still needs work The Boston Globe analyzes the current state of music-playing cell phones, and says more work needs to be done if iTunes-on-phone is to be a viable concept. "The save-a-pocket logic of offering consumers iPod-like music capability built into a wireless handset seems obvious. But industry insiders warn that it could be a long wait for true iPod-rivaling devices to hit the market -- unless they come with some clear way for carriers like Cingular Wireless, Verizon Wireless, and Sprint PCS to get a cut of the profits." More.

Previously on MacFixIt

• Apple releases Security Update 2005-003 for Mac OS X and Mac OS X Server
• Keynote 2.0.1: Distorted MPEG video content; Printing issues
• Keynote and Pages must be in "Applications" folder to update properly
• iPod (Fourth Generation): Problems with USB 2.0 data transfer
• iPod mini (Second Generation): Quirkiness when charging over high power USB 1.x ports; Pausing during play

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