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September 9, 2002—In this issue:
1. NEWS AND VIEWS
- Microsoft Releases Windows XP SP1
- Education Market Lost, Apple Lays Down Multimedia Gauntlet
2. ANNOUNCEMENT
- The Security Solutions You've Been Searching For!
- Mark Minasi and Paul Thurrott Are Bringing Their Security Expertise to You!
3. CONTACT US
- See this section for a list of ways to contact us.
1. NEWS AND VIEWS
(contributed by Paul Thurrott, [email protected])
Today, Microsoft released Windows XP Service Pack 1 (SP1), the long-awaited collection of bug fixes for the company's best-selling OS. XP SP1 includes all the XP security fixes that Microsoft has issued to Windows Update since last October, security fixes that resulted in an early 2002 Trustworthy Computing code review, compliance changes dictated by the company's proposed antitrust settlement with the US Department of Justice (DOJ), and so-called enabling technologies for new XP versions such as Windows XP Media Center Edition (due in mid-October) and Windows XP Tablet PC Edition (due November 7).
"Microsoft is always focused on improving the reliability and security of Windows for our customers, and \[SP1\] is the latest delivery on our commitment to those customers," said Jim Allchin, group vice president for the Platforms Products Group, when the company released SP1 to manufacturing late last month. "Windows XP is the most secure and dependable \[OS\] we have ever produced, but our work doesn't end when we ship the product. Windows XP \[SP1\], along with services such as Windows Update, \[is an example\] of how we help customers keep their PCs updated with the latest and greatest technology."
XP users will be able to download SP1 through Windows Update, which is probably the most bandwidth-sensitive way to obtain the updates. Administrators and users who want to roll out SP1 on multiple machines can download the 130MB SP1 release from the Microsoft Web site (see the first URL below). And MSDN Professional and Universal subscribers can download SP1 and new slipstreamed versions of XP with SP1 included from the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) Subscriber Downloads Web site (see the second URL below).
XP SP1 (130 MB)
MSDN Subscriber Downloads
The relationship between Apple Computer and Microsoft nosedived again over the weekend when Apple responded to Microsoft's recent release of the Windows Media 9 Series with a scathing attack. Calling the product an "anti-standards" release, Apple noted that its own QuickTime 6 technology features compatibility with the already somewhat antiquated MPEG-4 video format, an industry standard of sorts. However, the Windows Media 9 Series video format far surpasses the quality and speed of MPEG-4, and Apple was likely responding to Microsoft's comparison (made at last week's Windows Media 9 Series launch) of Windows Media Video (WMV) 9 and MPEG-4, a comparison that doesn't cast Apple's product in the most positive light. Unfortunately for Apple, its anti-Microsoft attack arrived on the same day as a revealing study that indicates that Apple is in danger of forever losing the education market to Windows-based PCs.
"\[Microsoft\] believes they are so big that they can take away what consumers want," an Apple spokesperson said. "They believe their size and momentum can drive an entire industry in a proprietary direction with technologies built by Microsoft. That direction is very much opposite to where most of the industry is going. We wish Microsoft, like RealNetworks, would follow our lead in adopting and supporting industry standards. What's become very clear is that they \[Microsoft\] have become antistandards—it's not just antistandards, they are turning their back on standards."
However, as Microsoft representatives told me 2 weeks ago, the company made its WMV improvements partly at the request of moviemakers and other content creators, who want to see their productions delivered digitally in high quality and protected by Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology. WMV 9 delivers quality far in excess of MPEG-4—indeed, the company says that WMV 9 is capable of High-Definition-quality video with several discrete surround-sound channels—and already supports DRM protection.
Apple, as of yet, offers no such protection. "We agree that rights-managed assets are important to protect people's content," the Apple representative said. "We don't condone people stealing music, so we put in controls in our iPod, for example, that won't allow people to use it as a music shuttle. The DRM that we will pursue will be standards-based. We are actively working on DRM around MPEG-4, but it will be a DRM that is open to everybody, but closed from a security standpoint." Apple had no comment about when such technology would be available, however.
Apple also took issue with other Windows Media 9 Series features, claiming that similar features are already available to Apple customers. Those features include QuickTime's Instant-On functionality, which eliminates streaming buffering, and the iTunes 3 Smart Playlists feature, which automatically generates audio playlists. Windows Media 9 includes a feature called Fast Stream, which Microsoft introduced last December, that also eliminates streaming buffering, although it's an end-to-end solution that includes server and client components, unlike Apple's offering. And Microsoft's product includes features sorely lacking in QuickTime, such as the ability to automatically reconnect to a media server when a connection is lost. As for Smart Playlists, the Microsoft offering is far more powerful than the Apple one. Dubbed Auto Playlists, the Microsoft feature dynamically generates playlists for such topics as new music, favorite music, and least-played music, but also features a visual editor for designing your own autoplaylists (e.g., Elton John songs recorded before 1980 with a personal rating of four stars or more). But, more importantly, Apple is disingenuous when it suggests that Microsoft created the Windows Media 9 Series Auto Playlists feature in the 2 months since Apple released iTunes 3.
Sadly, on the same day that Apple made its public attack on Microsoft, market researcher International Data Corporation (IDC) revealed that Apple has lost significant ground in the education market, one of its few remaining strongholds. Apple, which once commanded more than 50 percent of this market, saw its share fall to 15.2 percent this quarter. Market leader Dell saw its share of the education market leap from 22.6 percent to 34.9 percent in the same time period, giving the company a commanding lead. Dell sells the Windows-based PCs that students are far more likely to find in the workplace, a key purchasing decision for schools now faced with real-world study requirements and dwindling purchasing power. "Windows became established as the de facto standard, \[and\] for a lot of reasons that meant that Windows costs were less," IDC analyst Roger Kay told "MacWorld Magazine" this weekend. "Apple's products are premium priced to begin with; although they have recently modified that, it's too little, too late."
2. ANNOUNCEMENTS
(brought to you by Windows & .NET Magazine and its partners)
Our popular Interactive Product Guides (IPGs) are online catalogs of the hottest vendor solutions around. Our latest IPG highlights the security solutions and services that will help you protect your data and your network before disaster strikes. Check it out at:
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Windows & .NET Magazine Network Road Show 2002 is coming this October to New York, Chicago, Denver, and San Francisco! Industry experts Mark Minasi and Paul Thurrott will show you how to shore up your system's security and what desktop security features are planned for Microsoft .NET and beyond. Sponsored by NetIQ, Microsoft, and Trend Micro. Registration is free, but space is limited so sign up now!
http://www.winnetmag.com/seminars/roadshow
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