iTunes store collapses

Just a quick heads up to everyone who is concerned – the iTunes Store has collapsed and will not load globally as far as I’m aware.

According to forum results, the store has been offline for some time but Apple (as yet) has not issued any statement regarding the issue.

I suspect Mr Jobs is more concerned about the fortune he’s loosing in digital sales!

Update 5.29pm GMT: I can now access the iTunes Store again from here in the UK.

Don’t let 3 UK (Hutchinson 3G) be merged into Vodafone – please!

3 to join Vodafone? I hope not…

I am outraged at this news story I’ve just read on the internet. It claims that Vodafone are looking to do a merger with 3 after Orange’s merger with T-Mobile has been approved with the EU.

If that happens, I will be the first person to leave 3! Vodafone suck – full stop.

The whole reason I went to 3 in the first place was because Vodafone and Orange had rubbish network coverage – especially in terms of 3G. 3 has fantastic network coverage across the UK and that’s what makes it great.

If the filth that is Vodafone takes over 3 in the UK, 3 will go downhill horribly quickly. 3 is great as it is – keep it that way! Super cheap calls and texts, fantastic mobile broadband, great coverage – 3 has it all.

Will the senior people at 3 UK please think very carefully if a merger is offered with Vodafone – it could be a big mistake!

Browser market share outlook: February 2010

Chrome is sailing on merrily, but other browsers are slowly starting to sink.

The normal trend is just about carrying on this month, with a few minor differences. Percentages with thanks to HitsLink.

Internet Explorer and Firefox continue to loose market share this month – IE is now down to 61.58% and Firefox is down to 24.23%.

Chrome continues to grow with it’s market share percentage up to 5.61%. Whereas Safari managed to loose a bit of market share this month (which does happen now and then) – it now stands at 4.45%.

Opera’s users are slowly trickling away, with it’s market share now at 2.35%. However, Opera Mini (the mobile edition) continues to gain market share with it’s market share now up to 0.64%.

That’s your outlook for this month.

Re: We could be at the end of the free public wi-fi era… already

At the end of November 2009, I wrote a blog post about how public internet hotspots (commonly known as wi-fi hotspots) may be coming to a premature end thanks to the government.

Four months on, and it doesn’t look like circumstances have improved. According to ISPReview, the government is still hinting that hotspot owners will be responsible for what their customers do on the internet. This could be disastrous for many public buildings – such as pubs, restaurants, train stations and shops. It may put them out of business if they are judged as guilty for something unlawful that their customers have done online.

If the new laws do go ahead, you may find that most wi-fi hotspots are shutting down. It is far too much of a risk for hotspot owners – a couple of illegal MP3 downloads and they could be out of business.

So if I were you, I’d look your last at the free wi-fi you have at your local pub. In a matter of months, it could disappear.