Uninformed media sources will do what they do best -- sow fear, uncertainty, and doubt [FUD]. And the first time a really big Mac security incident occurs it will cause some people who are considering a Mac over a cheaper Windows-based system to change their minds. Vulnerabilities in Windows are so common they don't really make the news anymore. But a large-scale, widespread incident on the Mac could badly wound Apple's reputation. It's for this reason that I think the time has come for Apple to consider doing what many other companies like IBM and Oracle have: create a position of chief security officer.

To maintain public confidence in its operating system, Jobs & Co. should consider hiring a security czar.

Apple's 2005 numbers say it all... Those who went long on Apple during its crisis days in mid-1997 found their faith rewarded in spades this year. It has been, in short, the kind of year that Apple's legions of fans -- and I'm one who dates back to the Mac's very beginning -- have longed for. And that's going to raise the bar for success in 2006 rather high... The big news for 2006 will be the shift to Intel-based machines. It could be challenging -- or the start of a major upgrade cycle... I hope the new PowerMac is a super-box. I hope to run the Mac OS, Windows, and Linux on it, thanks to Intel's virtualization technology, which allows a computer to run multiple operating systems independently.

As long as war hasn't started there will be uncertainty, there will be volatility and there will be fear.

No legislator will take on the issue out of fear that the media . . . will label him or her as pro-offender.

Any time there's talk of interfering with the central Bank, that makes investors very nervous. Political uncertainty will linger and we could see a weakening of the currency.