New and Noteworthy: Apple still #5; Dell CEO calls iPod "a fad"; Apple and Pepsi to give away 200 million songs; mor

Apple still #5 According to statistics released by IDC, Apple is still the world's 5th largest computer maker. PC vendors shipped 177.5 million units during 2004, up 14.7 percent from the 154.7 million units shipped in 2003. This number represents the peak of a worldwide recovery from the decreasing shipments of 2001, IDC reported. An article on IT-World adds " Apple's runaway success with its iPod music player has led some analysts to predict that Apple will also see faster growth in its PC business. Company executives recently said that they didn't have data that proved that theory, and Kay also believed that more data is needed before the 'halo effect' caused by the iPod translates into iMac or Power Mac sales." More.

Dell CEO calls iPod "a fad." In an interview with Silicon.com, Dell CEO Kevin Rollins claimed the iPod is nothing more than a fad, that will fade into obscurity without a sustainable strategy "It's interesting the iPod has been out for three years and it's only this past year it's become a raging success. Well those things that become fads rage and then they drop off. When I was growing up there was a product made by Sony called the Sony Walkman - a rage, everyone had to have one. Well you don't hear about the Walkman anymore. I believe that one product wonders come and go. You have to have sustainable business models, sustainable strategy." More.

Apple and Pepsi to give away 200 million songs ExtremeiPod reports that Apple and Pepsi have embarked on their second major promotion, in which the two firms will give away 200 million iTunes music downloads, and nearly 2000 iPod minis. More.

NFL games on your iPod The National Football League on Tuesday announced an agreement with Audible Inc., an online distributor of audiobooks and other spoken-word programming, to make recordings of this year's remaining playoff games available for portable audio players, including the iPod. An Associated Press article states "The recordings will be available for purchase through Apple's iTunes Music Store, which has an existing relationship with Audible, and other sites that sell audio over the Internet, according to the NFL and Audible." More.

Previously on MacFixIt

• iTunes 4.7.1 (#3): Radio channel problem temporary; Crash when iPod is connected while iTunes is running: Potential fixes; more
• Margin Note: Video iPod, MacinTiVo, and the iMovie Store
• iBoom: More problems
• Odds and Ends: Knowledge Base Updates

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