[See related article entitled, "A Shift in Newton's Law"-- posted 9:32a CDT, Friday, 10/20]

As first seen yesterday by way of MacDailyNews.com, two reports originating from CNET News.com and CNN.com surfaced later in the day in regard to Microsoft's "next generation" OS, Windows Vista, and a story about the Mac's new vulnerability to viruses, respectively.

In regard to Microsoft's aging internet browser, Steven Musil of CNET News.com writes that, "...Microsoft is playing catch-up in many areas." On Windows Vista, Musil says that the yet-to-be-released product is, "...already raising the hackles of many consumers."

A reader went so far as to comment on the site, "How much longer will consumers allow Microsoft to bully them?"

Down over at CNN.com, Steve Hargreaves starts off his report with, "Apple computers have long been prized for being relatively virus-free. But as more people use Apple products, experts say the company is increasingly becoming a target for... viruses and other forms of malware."

(Did you catch the important part of that paragraph? Let's re-iterate. As more people use Apple products...)

Furthermore, the article includes a quote by an analyst who says, "As they increase their market share, there will be more of a concentrated effort to write malicious code for the platform." (Another point to stress here, in case you missed it: as Apple increases its market share...).

Some final thoughts? Keeping in mind that CNN's tagline is "The Most Trusted Name in News"?

Hargreaves points out that Apple's stable operating system and its highly secure UNIX code underneath its hood is what will keep the Mac maker on top-- something that Microsoft has yet to achieve with its operating system(s)... "stability" and "security."

For the complete story on both fronts, click the links to the original sources below.

SOURCES:

CNET News.com, "Week in review: Vista furor" (10.20.06)
CNN.com (Technology section), "...Mac attacks rare but may rise" (10.20.06)