Good morning.
Apple's iTunes turns 10. I had hoped that the company was going to completely overhaul this
piece of junk for version 10 last fall, but it didn't. So iTunes at ten is like a lot of US adults after 10 years: 20 pounds overweight. Maybe they'll fix it someday.
Speaking of Apple, there have been
a lot of iPad 2 rumors lately, as expected, including one that it could arrive (at least in announcement form)
as early as February. "If you’re thinking of buying an iPad, hold off for now," insider Kevin Rose said this week. Sure. I've been saying that since November. But I will say this; If you did wait, you did the right thing. Version 2 is going to be the one where the excuses for not buying run out, I think.
If you didn't see, do check out my article,
Windows Everywhere? Wake Up, Microsoft. It's 2011, which I posted this morning. My concerns about
the software giant's focus and plodding slowness continue.
If you're still using the
Windows Home Server "Vail" beta, you're in for a little shock today, and not the good kind:
It's expiring at the end of the day. That means you need to get your data off the server and onto another box if you're foolish enough (as I am) to actually be using the thing. According to the Windows Home Server team, the company
will not release a patch to extend the preview period. And the next beta release is still 4-6 weeks out.
This WHS stuff is depressing, of course, and I'm getting more and more email from
former WHS fans who are abandoning the platform. I understand, but I'm still not sure where I'll be going with this stuff. For now, I think I'll just revert to the (v1) shipping version of WHS and see what happens with the new beta.
According to the Wall Street Journal, which has apparently had the inside track on Verizon iPhone news,
the wireless giant is so confident of its network, that
it will offer unlimited data plans to customers. This is yet another reason for AT&T users to jump ship, since that carrier offers only tiered (200 MB and 2 GB) plans now.
By the way, in case it's not obvious,
if you want to play Angry Birds on the PC, you can now get it through the
Intel AppUp store (which I mentioned in
my Mac App Store commentary). It's $4.99 and can be installed on up to five PCs. Looks and works great.
