Year: 2002

IBM this morning issued an earnings warning saying it expects first-quarter profits will be between 66 and 70 cents per share, down sharply from the 85 cents expected by analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial/First Call. Revenues for the quarter are expected to come in at between US$18.4 billion to $18.6 billion compared with $21.0 billion a year ago. Shares of IBM were down nearly $8 to $89.30 in pre-open trading following the warning and are expected to weigh down other tech stocks today.

Apple is leading the industry in DVD burning, according to a company issued press release announcing that nearly 500,000 SuperDrive-equipped Macs and more than 2 million pieces of blank Apple DVD-R media have shipped. “Apple is leading the desktop DVD revolution,” Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior director of Hardware Product Marketing, said in the release.

CE Software has released QuicKeys X 1.5, a new version of its macro and automation software built specifically for Mac OS X. The new version offers a number of enhancements, including the ability to quickly select any menu from applications, easily simulate mouse clicks relative to a window, and more. QuicKeys X 1.5 sells for US$79.95 and is provided as a $15.95 upgrade to current QuicKeys X owners.

FileMaker, Inc. today announced that its FileMaker 5.5 database software, introduced in May 2001, has sold more than 750,000 copies. FileMaker is Apple’s database software subsidiary; the software is available for multiple platforms.

At NAB, Berkley Integrated Audio Software (BIAS) is demonstrating Deck 3.5, a new version of its multi-track digital audio workstation software that adds native support for Mac OS X, among numerous other features. Deck 3.5 will ship in the second quarter for US$399. Users who purchased version 3.0 after October 1, 2001 will be entitled to a free upgrade, while those who purchased the software earlier will be able to upgrade for $199.