Demand for CD-R discs up because of SARS

Demand for CD-R discs has been growing recently as distributors are increasing inventories amid worries that the SARS epidemic might affect supply. Strong demand has been seen not only for 48x and 52x discs but also for 24x and 32x products, sources said. With most of their clients from major brand companies, first-tier optical disc makers in Taiwan usually see low demand for 24x and 32x discs compared to those with higher capacities. ...more

French consumer group sues 'deceitful' Apple

A French consumer group is suing Apple and Sony over what it describes as 'deceitful' practices in their online music stores. UFC-Que Choisir claims that by only allowing songs to be played on their own digital players, Apple's iTunes Music Store and Sony Connect are misleading customers. It is the second time that Apple has faced a legal challenge in France; VirginMega failed in an attempt to force the company to open up the iPod so that it would play music bought from online stores ither than iTunes. ...more

Novell acquires Ximian

Novell has acquired Ximian, the Boston-based company that is a force in the Open Source world. The move is intended to drive Novell's growth into the Linux arena and the company believes it is buying 'best-of-breed Linux desktop, groupware and management technologies'. Ximian is best known for its work with the Mono and GNOME projects, and Novell has promised continuing support for these ventures. ...more

Hitachi ships 1TB internal hard drive

Hitachi has begun UK shipping of what it claims as the world's first terabyte capacity internal hard drive. Unveiled earlier this year, the Hitachi Deskstar 7K1000 is a 3.5-inch, 7,200rpm, Serial-ATA (SATA) drive with a 32MB data buffer and 8. ...more

Bush administration gets tough on downloaders

The US Justice Department has proposed new legislation that could put music or movie shares in gaol. The law would criminalise the unauthorised copying of copyrighted material and would also enable prosecutions of people who try, but fail, to make copies of intellectual property including music, movies and software. It would also allow the seizure of assets acquired with the profits from sales of copied content. ...more