Government going Apple? - Security Systems News. I guess I missed this little tidbit from last fall, courtesy of Security Systems News. If true, it sounds like there at least a few Federal IT execs who are beginning to listen to reason, rather than being always feeling like they're on the defensive about Macs.

Microsoft rebukes exec for Mac inspiration comment. They can run, but they just can't hide.

Smackdown: Windows 7 takes on Apples Snow Leopard. Now, this is more like it! Whereas the earlier ComputerWorld reviewer basically called the OS's an even match (while exposing a lot of his own ignorance about Mac OS X), this fellow understands completely. In his closing remarks, he concludes:

As an IT professional, I support both operating systems at work. But I have Macs at home; after all, who wants to troubleshoot computer problems on their own time? My final verdict in this smackdown? It's not even close: Snow Leopard is the better OS.

I couldn't have put it better myself.

Microsoft Word Sales Banned In 60 Days -- InformationWeek. Interesting tidbit, though I'm sure it will come to nothing with respect to Microsoft's monopoly word processing software. Still, it's good to see some focus on Office without feeling like they have smudged some sort of sacred cow. Me, I haven't used Word in at least 5 years and see absolutely no reason why I would ever need to do so. And yes, I work for an organization that relies on Microsoft Office. (Do you know of one that doesn't?)

30GB Zunes Killing Themselves In Droves | Gadget Lab from Wired.com

Even for those of us who have long maintained that Microsoft products are second-rate (or, in some cases, third), this is surprising news. Still, as a rational Martian I can't imagine why anyone except, perhaps, Microsoft's desperate shareholders, would think Microsoft--a maker of buggy software--could build a reliable music player. Maybe it's their success with the XBox... ?

Apple will rule the living room by 2013, Forrester says Computerworld reported this today, and does it surprise you to learn that the first comment on the article was by an anti-Apple ignoramus?

I do not smoke, but it's obvious that you people do. Please send me a kilo of your best. Apple is a small time player with very limited scope, appeal, and resources. There is an obvious reason for that: the buying public does not feel compelled to support them just to "be different".

To which I replied:

You may not smoke, but clearly you have your heard buried in the sand. Your irrational anti-Apple attitude is clearly a product of wishful thinking. My only guess is that you own Microsoft stock, which has been flat for years, while Apple stock has skyrocketed. You tihink $190 a share is high for Apple? Just wait a few more years. It's still not too late to face reality and start to cheer, rather than jeer, the company that's put the fun and excitement back into personal computing, as well as home entertainment.

The depth and intensity of the anti-Apple pod-People continues to remind me of the Fascists' attitude toward Jews. These guys think Apple fans are religious, but in reality, they're the ones whose brains are dominated by a cult-like hatred. Kinda scary, but then they're typically cowards who wouldn't make such arguments in person.

AppleInsider | Vista dawns, world yawns Here's a good summary of the typical reactions I've read about to Microsoft's much-ballyhooed launch of its equally over-ballyhooed Vista operating system. On a related note, Apple has a link on their news page to a delightful article in Monday's Pioneer Press (TwinCities.com) summarizing Vista, which does an excellent job explaining how Vista's best features are simply ripoffs of Mac OS X. The only thing that St. Paul newspaper writer gets wrong is the impression that you can't effectively use a Mac as a DVR "media center" like Vista can. I'm here to tell you this is plain ignorance. Of course you can... you just can't get a built-in TV tuner. (But who wants that anyway... seriously?)

Josh Smith: Universal Music Group CEO Says iPod Owners Are Theives Hmmm... Here's a guy who clearly is looking for a boycott. If you're interested in registering your protest, this website has some starters for figuring out which artists and motion pictures are handled by Universal. What an idiot! He wants everybody to buy Zunes because Microsoft is giving Universal (and some of the other studios) a cut off the top. Ah! So that makes everyone who doesn't use a Zune a thief, right? I get it. Now, Mr. Doug Morris, CEO of Universal Group, get this: You just lost yourself a few million customers. I hope the Zune revenue makes up for it.

AppleInsider | Zune incompatible with Windows Vista Oh my god... can these guys be any more lame? The screenshot AppleInsider posts is priceless, and they say the background photo is not people cracking up over the irony of the situation... it's the standard Zune background. (Visit the AppleInsider site for a better copy of this screenshot.)

CNN.com Video: Microsoft’s New Zune

I saw this on TUAW, and had to share it here as well. This is a hilarious video that all Apple/iPod lovers will get a kick out of. While looking sheepishly like a Microsoft-paid spokesman, the New York Times fellow shows off the new Zune to a somewhat skeptical pair of CNN anchors. Then, at the end, one of the anchors whips out her new iPod shuffle and pins it to her lapel. Everyone agrees it’s much sexier than the Zune, and the other anchor wonders why Microsoft “can’t get some good designers in there” because the Zune is so “clunky” looking. Priceless!

ABI Research Analyst: iTunes Could Be Apple’s ‘Trojan Horse’ in the Home Audio-Video Market

It’s always nice when professional analysts from the “mainstream” media come out and say the same things you’ve been arguing. Now, if only they’d get on the anti-Microsoft horse, and start advising business customers to abandon the poisoned and poisoning Windows franchise, I’d really have cause to cheer. eWeek also covered this report, among other sources.

From Ars Technica: Windows XP on Intel iMac Is Now Confirmed For those folks who still need a little Windows in their lives, the new Intel Macs are looking like a better choice today. Judging from the comments in the discussion following this article, I would guess that this break will be the tipping point for a number of people who were trying to decide whether to upgrade their PC or to get a Mac.

InfoWorld Columnist Tom Yager Sees Genius in Mac Mini While lesser mortals focus on irrelevancies like the Mini's lack of a TV tuner (?!), folks like Tom Yager see the deep meaning here. Windows users really have no idea how far behind their platform is in information-sharing through a technology like Bonjour. But in the Mac mini, Apple has a class A demonstration of how Bonjour simplifies your home life as you try to build a digital living room.

On CNET UK: Mac Mini vs. Microsoft Media Center: Round 1 A definite win for the Mac, which has unleashed a deluge of anti-Mac, anti-Apple sentiment among the hordes of prejudiced PC users. The comments are as interesting as the article, though it's not surprising to find the Mac mini winning the contest.

Designtechnica: Praising Apple's Elegantly Simple Remote and Other Designs This is another great article recognizing the brilliance in the simple, but powerfull interfaces Apple has been releasing lately. This one is specifically about the new Mac mini with remote, and its potential role as a living room device.

Rejoice, Mac Heads, and Stay Tuned Speculation from Business Week's latest Byte of the Apple columnist about good prospects for Apple in 2006.

2006 Prediction #1: The Year Of The Mac. Get Real: Stowe Boyd's Soapbox Ooh... Here's hoping this guy's a serious visionary! I like anyone who understands that Microsoft Windows is a dinosaur (or should be).

Computers vie to become home media centers This looks interesting.