I'm sure Steve believes what he said (and he's probably right about his kids' usage habits), but I couldn't help but think of one of his kids in a computer lab at school and the teacher says, "Now everyone open up Google and type ‘George Washington'" and one the Ballmer kids raises a hand and says, "I'm sorry, but my dad says I can't use Google." Or a Ballmer kid hanging out with a friend who says, "Hey you've got to listen to this cool song on my iPod" and the Ballmer kid responds, "I'm sorry but I'm not allowed to use one of those."

Xbox digital-entertainment executive producer Jeff Henshaw told CNET News.com that the Xbox 360 would be able to stream any standard MP3 file or AAC file from an iPod, but not protected songs purchased through the iTunes Music Store. Those songs, he said, will appear grayed out in menus on the Xbox.

First in the Atlanta airport (and now in other airports, malls, and hotels), Apple iPods are being sold by special “robotic product delivery systems” that offer the music players along with other stuff such as digital cameras and snacks — just in case you want to eat peanuts while snapping digital photos or listening to MP3s. In the past, we would call these “delivery systems” something like “vending machines,” but Zoom Systems, the maker of these devices, insists that its units are much more sophisticated than that. Has anyone out there actually seen one of these?

During a recent trip to Las Vegas, NV, I was captivated by a Zoom Shop vending machine selling Apple iPods. Located in the Las Vegas Hilton, home to the Star Trek Experience and Barry Manilow, this robotic retail system dispenses a variety of iPods and iPod accessories. Developed and operated by California-based Zoom Systems, you’ll find similar units in the San Francisco International Airport, San Francisco Argent Hotel, and the Hartsfield Atlanta Airport.

Apple chief Steve Jobs announced iWork '05 on Tuesday at the Macworld trade show. The $79 package includes Pages, a new word processing program developed by Apple, and an updated version of Keynote, a slideshow application Apple introduced two years ago. The company also introduced the $499 Mac Mini, new flash-memory-based iPods and other releases.

Microsoft is planning a new branding campaign similar to "Intel Inside" for its Windows Media audio and video technology, hoping to highlight the near-ubiquity of its multimedia technology, sources familiar with the plans say.

The Mac maker has launched a contest for developers who create programs in Dashboard--a part of Tiger, the update to Mac OS X that will debut in the first half of next year. The idea behind Dashboard, as well as a similar third-party program called Konfabulator, is that computer users want easy access to small programs that do things like showing stock quotes or displaying photos.

The Cupertino, Calif., company said it has stopped taking orders for the current iMac models and had hoped to have the new iMac available by the time the supply of current iMacs dries up. The delay means that Apple stores and resellers will be without an iMac model to sell for all of July and August and some portion of September.

IGG Software, which has marketed a time-billing application as iWork, has changed the program's name to iBiz. The change, which is reflected on the company's Web site, follows reports on rumor sites that Apple plans to offer its own suite of word processing and presentation software.

AppleScript is commonly used to build Mac OS desktop applications. Unlike other scripting languages, its syntax and structure closely resemble spoken English. It's very popular and easy to use; plus, it's a great way to design small programs that automate workflow and increase productivity.