Type of Article: MacMinute Web Site

U.S. workers spent 4.9 billion minutes using an instant messaging service during the past year, according to a Jupiter Media Matrix report, as unique users increased 34 percent to 13.4 million (or an average of about 6 hours per user). Instant messaging at home, meanwhile, rose 48 percent to 13.6 billion total minutes. America Online, with its AIM and ICQ services, continues to hold the top spot, with 41.7 home users. MSN increased its market share by 94 percent to 18.5 million users, while Yahoo!

Hewlett-Packard this morning reported fourth quarter earnings that exceeded Wall Street’s revised expectations. The computer and printer maker, which plans to merge with Compaq, posted a US$361 million profit, down from $841 million in the year-ago quarter, on revenues for $10.9 billion, down from $13.3 billion last year.

Apple has been nominated for three BETT Awards, according to Macworld UK. Apple’s iBook wireless mobile classroom as been nominated for two awards, while Apple’s iDVD software has been nominated for one.

A record number of U.S. residents went online last month, according to both Nielsen/NetRatings and Jupiter Media Matrix. Nielsen reported a 15 percent year-over-year increase in Web usage, with 115.2 million U.S. residents going online during October 2001. Jupiter Media Matrix, meanwhile, reported that there were 102.1 million unique Web users during the month, the first time its survey has topped 100 million users.

In stark contrast to the relatively painless installation procedure for Mac OS X, c|net has devoted an entire article to covering reader opinions of installing Windows XP, which range from painless to problematic. One individual notes, “I returned [Windows XP] to CompUSA in Boulder. The woman working the return counter said that usually they don’t take returns of opened software, but too many people were having problems with Windows XP, and she gave me a cash refund on the spot.”