Al Jazeera Runs Newsroom On Macs

Al Jazeera International, the recently-launched English-language version of the 24-hour Arabic cable news channel, has based its newsroom on Apple Computer systems and software, the Doha, Qatar-based organization said.

Claiming to be the first English-language news channel headquartered in the Middle East, Al Jazeera International said its reporters use 41 just-purchased MacBook Pro notebooks along with Apple's Final Cut Studio video production software to edit stories. The newsroom, meanwhile, relies on an Apple Xserve-based storage system with a combined capacity of 700 terabytes, and 12 PowerMac G5 Quad and two PowerMac G5 Dual Core workstations for editing and design.

Apple's independent marketing company in the Middle East, Arab Business Machine Ltd., supplied the hardware through a reseller.

"Al Jazeera International is definitely a big name in the region today and is anticipated to become one of the worlds' biggest broadcasters in coming years," said Ghassan Bendali, deputy general manager of Arab Business Machine, in a statement. "We are absolutely delighted that they have chosen to be powered by Apple technology, and we are confident that they will soon reap rich benefits."

Al Jazeera International's broadcast debut was Nov. 15; the channel can be viewed on the Internet from the organization's Web site.