Microsoft readies Mac IE 4.5; iMac boosts Apple

In a bid to make iMac users happy, Microsoft will release a kinder, gentlerversion of Internet Explorer for the Macintosh dubbed IE 4.5. Jody Ropert,the group product manager for the Macintosh business unit at Microsoft saysthat IE 4.5 is smaller, faster, and more stable than the current release,IE 4.01. It also uses the self-repairing technology from Mac Office 98 sothat it can correct any problems without requiring user intervention.

IE 4.5 for the Macintosh should be available sometime in the Spring, whilea 5.0 release designed to bring the Mac version of IE up to the same levelas the Windows version is expected next Summer.

And iMac users have more to be happy about: Apple's latest consumer boxwas responsible for catapulting the company's marketshare above 10% for themonth of November. This is the first time in two years Apple has had marketshare over 10%. The Apple iMac represented 7.1% of all computer sold lastmonth while all of Apple's other machines combined held steady at less than3%