WinInfo Daily Update, March 1, 2006: Microsoft Updates IE to Conform to Eolas Verdict

Microsoft Updates IE to Conform to Eolas Verdict

On Tuesday, Microsoft quietly issued a Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) product update that changes the way the browser handles ActiveX controls. The update which applies only to IE 6 on Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP puts Microsoft in compliance with the Eolas Technologies patent verdict.

Referred to as a cumulative non-security update, the change will affect the way users interact with certain ActiveX controls including high profile add-ons such as Adobe Acrobat Reader, Apple Computer's QuickTime, and the Sun Microsystems Java Virtual Machine (JVM). However, Microsoft says that the changes won't be annoying, requiring at most an extra mouse click.

Microsoft outlined the changes it would have to make to IE in December 2005 and this week the company noted that other versions of IE would be updated including versions for Windows 2000. Microsoft says that IE 7.0 for Windows Vista and XP will conform to the requirements as well.

Microsoft lost a $521 million patent infringement case to Eolas last year but still vows to appeal the ruling. According to Eolas, IE and other Web browsers infringe on its patent for integrating small applications into a Web browser.

Apple Loses Its Cool in Latest Product Announcements 

Now it's clear what kind of damage the rumor mill can do to a company such as Apple which relies on excitement generated by its product announcements to propel growth each quarter. In the week leading up to yesterday's presentation of fun new products, the Apple rumor mill promised the moon and the stars. Apple would introduce a movie download service, it said. Intel based iBooks. A true video iPod with a large wide screen display. A living room capable Mac mini with digital video recording DVR features. The list of products was so extensive in fact that the Microsoft rumor mill responded with Origami, an upcoming mini Tablet PC that might or might not (note it won't) be Microsoft's answer to the iPod.

Too bad it was all hype and wishful thinking. Apple announced exactly three products Tuesday and not one of them is particularly exciting. The first, an Intel based Mac mini, is $100 more expensive than its predecessor and the base model ships with a low end single core processor and integrated video, both of which are designed for entry level laptops. The second, an iPod speaker for the living room costs $350 and doesn't even come with an iPod. You have to supply that yourself. The third product, seriously, is an iPod slipcase.

In short, there's nothing exciting here unless you didn't know that Apple is moving more and more into consumer electronics. Stung by numerous third party partners that have been making millions of dollars on iPod accessories during the past year, Apple has been getting more aggressive in recent months about marketing its own iPod accessories. The latest is the iPod Hi-Fi, a boombox like device that resembles the ubiquitous Bose Wave music system seen in audiophiles homes and comes with a similarly extravagant price tag. Interestingly, Bose's iPod speaker system, the SoundDock digital music system, costs $50 less than Apple's offering.

Apple also announced a $99 leather iPod slipcase with versions for the iPod with video and iPod nano. Yes, that's $99. For a slipcase.

Even the new Mac mini takes on a decidedly consumer electronics bent with its device like simplicity and a new version of the lackluster Front Row software which provides a remote control friendly front end to digital music videos and photos. The version included with the Mac mini adds the ability to stream digital media content from other Macs in the house. That will come in handy for that tiny minority of people who have more than one Mac, I suppose.

Is Apple a victim of its own success? It seems like we've become jaded about being blown away every time the company introduces a new product. But these decidedly bland updates are unexciting compared with what the rumor mill promised and what previous announcements delivered. Surely Apple can do better than this.