Next-gen graphics demand on hold until Vista launch

Nvidia has lead the way on DirectX 10 graphics technology with last week's launch of the DirectX 10-compliant GeForce 8800 GPU, and it has had a mixed reception - see the PC Pro and Custom PC write ups. According to graphics industry sources in Taiwan, however, demand for such high-end cards may not pick up until Microsoft's Vista is actually released. This is unsurprising given that DirectX 10 will only feature in retail copies of Windows Vista (excluding the Home Basic version). ...more

Microsoft and the EU square up for new battle over source code

Microsoft and the European Union look to be squaring up for another battle in what is becoming a trial of strength. On the one hand, the EU is trying to get what it sees as a monopolist trying to evade the penalties imposed on it. On the other hand, Microsoft is waging a PR battle to show that it is a good corporate citizen. ...more

Seven million UK homes now online

A new report from Oftel reveals that the UK has embraced new technology with a passion with steady increases in Internet use and the take up of digital television. The report states that seven million homes (around 28 per cent) are now connected to the Internet, with almost a million homes going online in the three months to August and over one million home Internet users using unmetered packages to access the net. The uptake of digital TV has risen by 10 per cent in the last three months with over 5. ...more

Apple TV shipments delayed - Think Secret

Think Secret is claiming that the shipping date for Apple TV has slipped back to March, Apple having set a February date for initial availability of the video- and audio-streaming boxes. The website claims that Apple had set a 20 February date for the first shipments, but these will now take place at the beginning of next month. 'The device will be available and promoted in the company's stores around that date, according to Apple's internal plans,' the site claims. ...more

EU warns Microsoft over Vista feature set

The EU Competition Commissioner has warned Microsoft that it will not be allowed to sell Windows Vista in Europe if contains certain features. Neelie Kroes wrote to the company last week to express her concerns, which centre on Microsoft's plans for Internet searching. A spokesman for Kroes said that the EU is concerned that Microsoft could use Internet Explorer 7 to 'unfairly direct computer users to Microsoft's own search service'. ...more