Surface demand “disappointing”; net protection bid fails; McAfee arrested, suffers heart attack

Welcome once again to The Week in IT, where we take a look at the big stories from information technology in the last seven days.

Mid last week, a joint US/Canadian bid to protect the internet from new international regulations fell flat after failing to win the support of other countries.

The countries proposed that the rules from the UN’s International Telecommunications Union (ITU) should only apply to telecom operators and not internet companies such as Google and Facebook.

The proposal would have limited the efforts of some countries (including Russia and some Middle Eastern and African nations) to gain more power to govern the internet.

According to some commentators, these extra powers would reduce the anonymity of the internet and bolster censorship.

These issues will be discussed further at the World Conference on International Telecommunications in the coming days.

McAfee’s woes

It’s been a tumultuous week for John McAfee. Since mid-November, McAfee had been on the run from Belizean authorities, who considered him a “person of interest” in the death of his neighbour, Gregory Viant Faull.

Mid last week, McAfee revealed to the media that he had fled to neighbouring Guatemala, where he was seeking political asylum for himself and his girlfriend - something he was reportedly confident he could obtain.

But soon after, it was reported that Guatemalan authorities had arrested McAfee, apparently for “entering the country illegally”.

Speaking after McAfee’s capture in Guatemala, a government spokesperson said McAfee would be expelled to Belize within hours.

The bad news did not end there for McAfee. Following his arrest and detainment in a building owned by the Guatemalan immigration department, McAfee suffered two mild heart attacks, according to his lawyer, and was rushed to hospital.

His request for asylum was rejected by Guatemala.

Despite earlier comments on McAfee’s expulsion to Belize, an immigration department official later said the country had ruled out immediate deportation.

Surface a disappointment?

Microsoft’s recent foray into the tablet market has not got off to a good start.

One analyst - Craig Berger of FBR Capital Markets - said demand for Microsoft’s Surface seems “disappointing” and that sales “have underwhelmed expectations”.

Furthermore, manufacturers’ desires to get on board the Windows 8 tablet train have reportedly been hampered by limitations imposed by Microsoft and delays in Intel power-management software.

The limited selection of Windows 8-based tablets has not helped the success of the devices. Only a handful are on the market, and several of those are only available at Microsoft stores.

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