Brand: MacNews

Apple is putting the final touches on Mac OS X 10.1.3, MacMinute has learned. Sources reveal the update expands support for both CD burning (adding devices from EZQuest, LaCie, MCE, QPS, Sony, and Yamaha) and Image Capture and iPhoto (adding cameras from Canon, Kodak, and Sony). The update also adds support for DVD playback on an external VGA display connected to a PowerBook G4, improves iTunes’ full-screen visuals, adds support for SSL encryption to Mail, and other improvements.

C|net has published an interview with Mort Aaronson, CEO of Aerie Networks, the company that purchased the Ricochet wireless network from bankrupt Metricom. Aaronson reveals that the company will re-implement the network first in California, where the bulk of the 51,000 Ricochet subscribers are located.

At the World Economic Forum in New York, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates told political and business leaders that he doesn’t expect any economic recovery in 2002. “I don’t see any big uptick in this year,” Gates said, according to Reuters. “Japan certainly won’t be, and the U.S. won’t be. Europe may be a little more positive.” Gates further criticized companies who have not adapted their strategies to accommodate the economy.

The current, February 11 issue of BusinessWeek magazine features a very positive review of Apple’s new iMac. Columnist Stephen H. Wildstrom extols the virtues of the iMac’s adjustable display in the “Technology & You” column, finding fault only with the system’s less-than-convenient placement of ports in the rear. “I’ll be very disappointed if coming months don’t bring a flood of ergonomic display designs that mimic the iMac.

MacMinute’s TARGET=”_top”>Executive Briefing for February 2 — a recap of all the news we have posted over the past week — is now available. If you think you may have missed something, here is your chance to catch up…