Type of Article: MacMinute Web Site

Ambrosia Software today released Deimos Rising, the sequel to Mars Rising, its popular top-down, scrolling shooter arcade game. Deimos Rising challenges players with 12 fast-paced levels and features 16-bit graphics with transparency, alpha masking, and motion blur. The US$20 shareware game runs natively on both Mac OS 8.6/9 and Mac OS X.

Apple has hired Taiwanese contract manufacturer Quanta to build one million iMacs with a 15-inch LCD display, according the Chinese language newspaper the United Daily News, as noted by The Register. The report adds more credibility to rumors that Apple may introduce a flat-panel iMac at Macworld Expo San Francisco, or another event early next year. According to the story, production is expected to begin during the first quarter of next year.

VersionTracker notes the release of Apple Authoring Support 1.1.5, Apple’s CD-burning support software for iTunes or DiscBurner. This release fixes several bugs and offers support for a number of new CD-R drives.

Pixels, Inc. has announced the beta release of version 4.0 of its 3D animation software for Mac OS 8/9 and Mac OS X. As reported by MacCentral , Pixels 3D 4.0 features a completely redesigned and customizable interface, an open architecture allowing dynamic and customizable plug-ins, improved NURBS modeling, vastly optimized polygonal modeling with new polygon smoothing and reduction tools, and an integrated help system.

Apple today said it will file a supplemental brief with the Maryland court handling Microsoft’s settlement of private lawsuits calling for the software giant to donate more than US$1 billion in cash to schools, rather than Microsoft’s proposed settlement of more than $500 million worth of software and roughly the same amount in cash. “We think people should know that the actual costs to Microsoft for this donated software will likely be under $1 million,” said Apple CEO Steve Jobs.