The Week in Your Words: not so broadband

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By Stuart Turton

Posted on 24 Apr 2009 at 16:59

In a week that saw the Government unveil its broadband master plan, Apple Cook the netbook's goose and BT refuse to let anybody board the Pirate Bay, we take a look back to see what our readers have made of it all.

Universal broadband pledge gets budget boost

We'll admit it. We were dubious about the Government's plan to provide everybody in the country with a 2Mbits/sec broadband connection by 2012. But not now Alistair Darling's lackeys have been dispatched to collect coppers from down the back of couches at BBC television centre.

Darling reckons he can cobble £250 million together, which should just above cover batty Mrs Baker in Dorset who still thinks the internet is a venereal disease. This is assuming, of course, Jacqui Smith's husband doesn't get a hankering to watch Cliffbanger 4 in the meantime. The forums were not impressed.

"Promise anything, as long as you don't promise to provide the means to deliver that promise," notes a Confucius-channelling cheysuli.

milliganp was equally unimpressed: "Give me strength. To quote Oscar Wilde - a cynic is someone who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. The Government should re-brand itself as CynicsRus."

peterm2k had spotted another problem: "Broadband for all, but no mention of computers for all. There's still plenty of people out there who can't afford a PC."

Well on the bright side, they won't be needing the internet, will they? Tsk, always so negative.

Apple trashes netbooks

Tim Cook may have the most inoffensive name in technology, but you don't become the Judy to Steve Jobs's Punch without having some nastiness in you. Take his recent tirade against netbooks, for example: "When I look at what is being sold in the netbook space today, I see cramped keyboards, terrible software, junky hardware, very small screens - it's just not something we would put the Mac brand on," railed Cook, swiftly pushing his iPhone out of sight.

"Apple criticising netbooks is like Rolls Royce criticising the VW Beatle," reckons Perfectblue97. "Sure, netbooks aren't up to Mac standards, but then again they aren't a Mac alternative. They are an affordable lightweight solution for lightweight users who'd rather go without than spend the money that a Mac would cost."

We really like the idea of "lightweight users". Does that mean netbooks are a fatty-free zone?

"This sounds very much like sour grapes on Apple's part," says qpw3141. "It can never compete in the general netbook market with its current business model because one of the defining features of netbooks is (or should be) their cheapness."

jonbwfc wasn't terribly surprised, however: "I doubt Apple gives a flying fig what anyone else thinks if it can manage to increase its net profit over time. From those results you have to admit it's in a position to say 'sod you lot, we'll do whatever we please thank you very much'."

We very much doubt Apple's ever used the word please.

BT blocks Pirate Bay

There's a certain Stan Laurel quality to BT. An endearing haplessness that suggests if there's a comedy plank to be walked into, it'll be the company doing it. This week it was indulging this instinct by blocking mobile users from "adult sites" including the Pirate Bay. Unfortunately, our readers weren't laughing.