New and Noteworthy: Micromat President Offers Rebuttal to Serial Number Controversy; Microsoft takes a swipe at Apple's "

CNET staff

Sept. 2, 2009 12:41 a.m. PT

2 min read

Micromat President Offers Rebuttal to Serial Number Controversy The PowerPage has posted a response from Micromat's president regarding complaints about the company's anti-piracy measures, which have actually been in place since 2003. "I'm more than happy to tell you exactly what is being broadcast: The TTP serial number, the user's network name and the machine serial number. Nothing else. And while it is not completely clear in the article, it should be noted that this information is only published in the LOCAL area network." More.

Microsoft takes a swipe at Apple's "I'm a Mac" ads engadget reports on some new "Get a Mac" parodies from Microsoft, portraying iPod music transfer as relatively difficult compared to the Zune's wireless transfer system. " The sticking point is how "difficult" it is to get music onto the iPod versus how 'simple' it is on the Zune. Not that we think the iPod is a paragon of usability, but we can't not bring up the fact that we'd love to see Microsoft live up to its claim and really make getting music as easy as pushing a single button." More.

Firefox 3.0 to renew assault on Microsoft The Times Online reports on the Firefox 3.0 alpha and its potential as an Internet Explorer-killer, and as a Mac-savvy app. "An early test version of the new version of the browser, Firefox 3.0, was unveiled this week to developers under the codename Gran Paradiso. Its release follows a report showing that Firefox accounts for 20 per cent of the browser market across Europe and as much as 40 per cent in some countries. [...] The group has also suggested that Firefox 3.0 will include a new system for storing online bookmarks and that the Mac version will "look more native" on Apple computers." More.

Previously on MacFixIt