Macs 36 per cent cheaper than PCs, says report

Macintosh systems are as much as 36 per cent cheaper to own and maintain than Windows PCs, according to research by industry analyst Gartner. The study, carried out on behalf of Gartner by the Melbourne University Faculty of Arts, Australia, looked at a number of cost factors, including the price of hardware and upgrades, the cost of providing technical support and training, and depreciation. It also took into account the value of users supporting themselves and each other and the loss of productivity due to downtime. ...more

Get the knowledge on iPod shuffle

Apple has published more than a dozen articles on its Knowledge Base online support detailing specific issues with the new iPod shuffle. Before buying, you should note that iPod shuffle may not fit all USB ports, notably recessed or closely spaced ports. This includes those on the following Apple products: eMac, iMac G3, Apple Studio Display 17 (ADC), and certain Xserve configurations, which will require a Dock Connector (?19). ...more

Microsoft will fill spoofing hole

Microsoft has announced that is planning to address a security flaw that was left out of the recent January security update. The software update will modify Internet Explorer's handling of user information in HTTP and HTTPS (a secure version of HTTP). Specifically, the following syntax will no longer be supported by IE or Windows Explorer: http(s)://username:password@server/resource. ...more

Oftel chief to be grilled by MPs

David Edmonds, chairman of telecoms regulator Oftel, is to be questioned by MPs over BT's delayed unbundling of the local loop, claimed The Observer on Sunday. The Observer said that the move was provoked by rivals of BT who are frustrated with Oftel's inability to do anything about BT's prevarication. The firms have made their case to the Number 10 Policy Unit and to the DTI, said the paper. ...more

Pipex takes orders for 2Mbps broadband

Pipex has joined BT Wholesale's 2Mbps broadband trial and has begun taking orders from end users who wish to take part. Its Solo 2000 Trial product - 2MBps downstream and 256Kbps upstream - costs ?39.99 per month, with free activation. ...more