Briefly: FormZ review; MS on Vista, Apple

Briefly:: MacNN has reviewed FormZ, which is described as "a superb general-purpose 3D solid and surface-modeling tool with powerful features, and excellent rendering options for realizing almost any 3D vision." Version 6.1 enhances many existing tools and adds several new ones, including a revamped animation system as well as adds Universal Binary support; however, a few features do not yet work on Intel-based Macs... Microsoft late yesterday surprised analysts by trying to downplay Windows Vista's sales for the next year. While still positive about the ultimate future of Microsoft's next OS, company CEO Steve Ballmer told a meeting of financial experts that many of them hadn't drawn a realistic connection between Vista and PC sales, suggesting that Microsoft would thrive in spite of a sluggish PC business. "These [predictions] are out of whack," Ballmer complained. "If Vista is growing, there should be a lot of [PC makers] participating." Ballmer also back-pedaled on previous negative comments by company chairman Bill Gates who sharply criticized Apple's Get a Mac campaign:

"I'll give Apple credit for what it's done," Ballmer said. "It's not like they've really grown a lot of market share [thanks to the ads]. Remember, when you're the little tiny niche guy who owns about 2 percent of the worldwide market, you can be cute one time and it helps you grow."

Price fixing by flash memory makers?

An American lawfirm says that US shoppers may be paying more than is legal for flash memory. Organized by Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro, a firm specializing in class action suits, the new investigation and lawsuit accuses numerous companies of conspiring to "fix, raise, maintain and stabilize" flash memory prices. The primary target: Micron's Crucial Technologies division; however other major corporations have been implicated as well, including Hynix, Samsung and Toshiba -- the major suppliers of memory to Apple.

Filed under: Apple