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TECHNOLOGY
NEWS
Mac sales increase on campus as war against PCs continues
BY ANDREW WIEBE awiebe@kansan.com
Although technology professionals on both sides of the PC versus Mac divide may not be able to come to a consensus on the superior product, there is one thing neither can argue: Apple Inc. exerting its influence on the lucrative computer market.
It's nearly impossible to ignore Apple's influence on the KU campus. It seems Apple products are everywhere, from students' personal computers and MP3 players to computer labs stocked exclusively with Macs.
Bill Myers, a spokesman for the University's information technology department, said via e-mail that
the School of Fine Arts, School of Journalism. University Relations, theatre and film department; and
the Center for Research on Learning all predominantly used Macs. Also, approximately 50 percent of the computers in the geology and mathematics departments are Macs, he said.
J o h n Edwards, tech-
about a 25 percent increase in Mac sales each year. Although PCs remain the choice of the majority.
"For someone like me who is a professional artist, the Mac is just a treasure. It's a jewel box. Anything that I can imagine on my head I can create on a Mac."
STACEY FOX Visiting artist for the art department
EWARTS, technology buyer for KU Bookstores, owns both a PC and a Mac. He said the bookstores had seen
Edwards said he estimated Macs to make up around 25 percent of student computers.
Apple's increased visibility in the media and popular culture has helped drive sales of their products to people who
were previously unfamiliar with the company, he said. "The iPod did it, but the iPhone has done it even
more." Edwards said. "Everybody knows about the iPhone. It has been on the cover of Time Magazine and everything else, and it ends up making Apple appear to have a great product line."
In addition to Apple's visibility, Edwards said the failure of Windows Vista had driven some traditional PC users to the other side of the debate. He said Macs offer a user-friendly option for those without technological knowledge who prefer an uncomplicated system.
Stacey Fox, a visiting artist for the art department, said she used Macs because she considered the software she needed to edit film in high definition, such as Final Cut Studio, to be superior to that available for PCs.
"For someone like me who is a professional artist, the Mac is just a treasure," Fox said. "It's a jewel box. Anything that I can imagine in my head I can create on a Mac."
Although she has used both, Fox said she considers Macs to be more reliable and better suited to her needs.
Despite the increased popularity of Macs, the machines still have major shortcomings in the eyes of PC users. Adam Van Horn, Lawrence senior, said he has been a PC user his entire life. He said that for people looking to customize their computers hardware or play video games Macs just didn't stack up.
Despite his preference for Windows based systems, Vorn Horn
said Macs' new ability to run the Windows operation system was a positive move for Apple.
"They've gotten better, especially now that they support Intel processors," he said. "They are good computers; it's just that I prefer Windows and Intel based products because that's what I've always used."
In light of Apple's stock growth, its price has nearly doubled in the past two years, and his store's increase in sales, Edwards said he didn't expect Mac sales to slow down as students looked to fulfill their computing needs with minimal maintenance.
"It's just very consistent," he said. "it's all designed to work to work together well."
MIDDLE EAST
Edited by Patrick De Oliveira
Israeli shooting disrupts cease-fire talks
BY IBRAHIM BARZAK ASSOCIATED PRESS
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Relatives of Palestinian militants killed by Israeli troops react at the hospital in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, Wednesday. Israel troops opened fire on a car Wednesday, killing four Palestinian militants. Palestinian medical officials said, throwing doubt on prospects for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The Hamas prime minister called publicly Wednesday for a period of calm with Israel, laying out conditions that would end attacks on Palestinian militants, open Gaza's borders and lift economic sanctions.
But shortly after the appeal by Ismail Haniyeh, Israeli troops opened fire on a car in the West Bank town of Bethlehem and killed four Palestinian militants, clouding the prospects for a ceasefire.
Among the conditions for an end to fighting that Haniyeh set earlier was a halt to Israeli military operations in the West Bank.
Hanjeh'eh's offer by came amid signs that Israel and Hamas are moving closer to an Egyptian-brokered deal to end weeks of fighting that have killed more than 120 Palestinians and five Israelis.
"We are talking about a mutual comprehensive calm, which means that the enemy must fulfill its obligations." Haniyeh said in a speech at Gaza City's Islamic University. "The Israelis must stop the aggression ... including assassinations and invasions, end the sanctions and open the borders."
The U.S. fears continued fighting will torpedo peace talks between Israel and moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who controls a West Bank government that rivals Hamas' rule of Gaza.
Israel stepped up attacks on Gaza two weeks ago in response to repeated rocket barrages on southern Israeli towns by Hamas militants. The fighting has subsided in recent days. But both sides have denied talk of a formal truce and there are no direct contacts.
Hamas does not recognize Israel's right to exist and is sworn to its destruction. Israel refuses to deal with the Hamas government.
But cutting a deal with Hamas would amount to international recognition of its control of Gaza. Israel and Abbas — who are involved in internationally backed peace talks — would essentially be agreeing to work with the militants instead of trying to topple them, allowing Hamas to stay in power while they try to negotiate a peace deal.
The deal could also give Abbas a new foothold in the area.
At the center of the arrangement would be deployment of officers loyal to Abbas at Gaza's border crossings with Israel and
Egypt. Hamas officials said they accept such a deployment in principle, even though it means giving up some control. They said they have given Egypt names of pro-Abbas officers who would be acceptable to Hamas.
Haniyeh said "all of the factions are involved," signaling that Hamas' call for a halt to the fighting has the support of smaller militant groups that have often scuttled cease-fire attempts in the past.
Haniyeh used the word "tahdia," or calm, to describe the informal cease-fire he sought. He did not use the Arabic word "hudna," which is interpreted as a more formal truce. Both terms denote a temporary cease-fire rather than a permanent peace, but even the subtle differences between the words has led to fierce debate among Arabs in past cease-fire efforts.
Israel has repeatedly warned that Hamas would use any lull to rearm. And Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak made clear Wednesday that a cease-fire was not yet in place.
"We are not in a situation of an arrangement here," Barak said during a tour of the Gaza border. "We are in the midst of operations aimed at stopping rocket fire," he added. "There is no change in what we're doing. What awaits us here is more operations."
The remarks were followed by the Israeli West Bank attack. Palestinian security officials said one of the four killed was the commander of Islamic Jihad in the Bolehem area, Mohammed Shehadeh, and two others were also members of Islamic Jihad. The fourth belonged to the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, a violent offshoot of Abba's Fatah.
Islamic Jihad leader Nafez Azzam in Gaza denounced the killings.
"This new crime reflects the true face of the occupation," he said. "Killing still continues while they are talking about the possibility of bringing calm. But if they think that calm means Palestinian surrender, they are mistaken."
While Haniyeh's demands were not new, the timing and location of the speech were significant. Haniyeh had been in hiding for several weeks during heavy fighting with Israel, and only has felt safe enough to appear in public in recent days.
With U.S. backing, Egypt has been trying to broker a truce.
"There are efforts by the Egyptian brothers who are
working on this issue. We as Palestinians are waiting for the Israeli answers," Haniyeh said. "The ball is in Israel's court."
Hamas officials said they have proposed that security forces loyal to Abbas, their fierce rival, be allowed to monitor Gazas' border crossings.
"We have agreed to have the Palestinian Authority staff on the border, not our staff, as long as those involved in corruption be excluded," said Alaa Araj, an adviser to Haniyeh. "The details are being discussed in Cairo."
Allowing Abbas' men to guard the crossings would mark a significant concession by Hamas, which
has ruled Gaza since violently ousting the presidents' forces last June. But it might be acceptable to Israel given its peace talks with Abbas.
Abbas has refused to speak to Hamas since the takeover, demanding it first relinquish power.
Israel and Abbas hope to reach a final peace agreement by the end of the year. But Israel has said it cannot carry out any deal until Abbas regains control of Gaza.
The Palestinians want an independent state that includes the West Bank and Gaza - areas located on opposite sides of Israel.
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Meanwhile, the House Federal and State Affairs Committee started to work on its immigration bill before running out of time. Committee Chairman Arlen Siegfried said the panel would resume work Wednesday evening and continue until members can agree on a bill.
BY CARL MANNING ASSOCIATED PRESS
The committee also removed penalties for knowingly hiring illegal immigrants, instead making that a civil offense.
The Federal and State Affairs Committee sent the proposal to the Senate after removing requirements that employers participate in E-Verify, a federal government database to check on the legal status of potential workers. Instead, businesses that voluntarily use E-Verify would be able to use that as a defense in a lawsuit
TOPEKA, Kan. — A Senate committee rewrote immigration legislation Wednesday so that it met the approval of the business community but upset backers of the original, tougher proposal.
Siegfreid, an Olathe Republican, said a major issue to be resolved is what, if any, sanctions should be applied to businesses that knowingly hire illegal immigrants. He said an earlier proposal to push back mandatory E-Verify use until 2010 has support.
The committee amended the bill to establish extensive guidelines for classifying workers as employees or independent contractors. Supporters said some employers misclassify employees to hide that they are illegal immigrants. Business groups oppose the amendment because they see it an unclear area of the law.
Already, it has talked about delaying the E-Verify requirement for two years and having the state Department of Labor do the actual checking.
Dealing with illegal immigration has been high on the agenda of many legislators who say they are responding to constituents' concerns about the increased number of illegal immigrants in Kansas, which some estimates put at 90,000 people.
"The fight will go on. It will not end here," Sen. Peggy Palmer, an Augusta Republican and sponsor of the original bill, said after the committee hearing. "Power and money just took over this Senate committee over the voice of the people."
Sen. Ralph Ostmeyer, a Grinnell Republican, told fellow committee members that they had destroyed the bill.
"It brothers we we have an issue this important and we pulled the teeth from it," he said. "We don't have an immigration problem; we have an illegal immigration problem."
Business groups, including the Kansas Chamber of Commerce. Kansas Livestock Association and Kansas Farm Bureau, oppose requiring companies to use E-Verify, saying it isn't reliable and could punish businesses that unwittingly hire illegal immigrants.
Amy Blankenbiller, chamber president, said the rewritten version was closer to what the business groups wanted.
"Imigration is a credible issue, but there is a big difference between good policy and bad policy," she said. "They took what could have been a bad approach and made it a workable program that will address the true concerns of Kansas."
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