U.S. Federal Court Judge J. Frederick Motz has rejected Microsoft’s proposed settlement of more than 100 class-action antitrust suits that called for placing some US$1 billion of computers and Microsoft software in America’s poorest schools, according to Reuters. Motz cited inadequate funding and the potential for giving Microsoft an edge over its competitors as the main factors in his decision. “[The settlement] appears to provide a means for flooding a part of the kindergarten through high school market, in which Microsoft has not traditionally been the strongest player (particularly in relation to Apple), with Microsoft software and refurbished software,” Motz said. The ruling comes as good news for Apple, which had much to lose in education sales had Microsoft been allowed to move forward with the proposal.